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Let me begin by passing on apologies from the WHO Representative in Viet Nam, Dr Angela Pratt, who is unable to attend today.
But she asked me to pass on her warmest congratulations to the Drug Administration of Viet Nam on this very special 30th anniversary.
As we have heard, over the past three decades, DAV has made important contributions to public health and the development of the pharmaceutical sector in Viet Nam.
This has been a time of significant change, with major development of the regulatory system and strengthening of institutional frameworks, from the formulation of the National Drug Policy, dating back to 1996, to the recent revisions of the Law on Pharmacy and its implementing regulations.
WHO has been privileged to support these and other initiatives -– along with valued partners including the Governments of Australia and the Republic of Korea.
In recent years, Viet Nam has undertaken important administrative reform and digital transformation initiatives in pharmaceutical regulation and governance.
But this is not change for its own sake.
At the heart of DAV’s work is the health and well-being of people. This is why DAV’s focus on access, quality and affordability is so important.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, DAV made enormous efforts to ensure the availability and accessibility of vaccines across the whole country.
DAV’s focus on quality includes ensuring the safety and efficacy of medicines and tackling sub-standard and falsified medical products.
And finally, DAV contributes to affordability by strengthening transparency and oversight of medicine prices, including through the review and publication of declared prices.
Viet Nam can rightly be proud of the role DAV has played to ensure that people across the whole country have access to safe and quality medical products.
DAV’s capacity is now impressive – supported by a national quality control system that tests more than 30,000 medicine samples each year.
DAV’s leadership has contributed to building Viet Nam’s modern and growing pharmaceutical industry, which serves both public health and earns millions of dollars in export revenue.
Building on these and many other milestones, the future is bright.
In this sector, Viet Nam is committed to continued development, technology transfer, investment in skilled staff, innovation and digital transformation.
As a result, the country can look forward to increased self-reliance in medicines, new-generation vaccines, more international collaborations and other exciting developments.
DAV’s work will also be crucial in meeting the Government’s ambitious national targets. One example is the target for 100% of commune health stations to manage selected noncommunicable diseases by 2030, which will depend on DAV’s regulatory oversight to ensure reliable access to safe, effective and affordable essential medicines.
Let me close by once again offering WHO’s sincere congratulations to DAV on your 30th anniversary – for three decades of excellence in regulating medical products to protect Viet Nam’s people and contribute to their wellbeing.
Viet Nam can of course continue to count on WHO’s steadfast support. We are proud to accompany Viet Nam – and DAV – on the journey to build a healthier and safer future.