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Vietnam fires deputy health minister accused of fake meds scam

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Students walk into a school as COVID-19 norms for schools have been relaxed and reopened, in Hanoi, Vietnam February 8, 2022. Khanh Vu, Reuters" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/reuters/02/09/20220209_health-coronavirus-vietnam.jpg"/><figcaption>Students walk into a school as COVID-19 norms for schools have been relaxed and reopened, in Hanoi, Vietnam February 8, 2022. <em>Khanh Vu, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>HANOI — Vietnam on Wednesday fired a deputy health minister, months after he was accused of involvement in a fake medicine trading ring, the government said on Wednesday.</p><p>Truong Quoc Cuong, 59, &quot;committed serious violations and weakness while on duty between 2007 and 2016&quot;, the government said in a statement.</p><p>Cuong violated the regulations of the Communist Party of Vietnam and lacked responsibility, leading to the licensing and circulating of fake medicines, the statement said.</p><p>Cuong, who had been a deputy health minister since 2016, was investigated by police in November after being accused of permitted a local company to import over 54 billion dong ($2.38 million) worth of fake medicine for domestic sale.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/04/21/vietnam-health-official-prosecuted-over-fake-drugs">Vietnam deputy health minister prosecuted over counterfeit medicines</a></li></ul><p>Calls to Cuong&#x27;s phone went unanswered.</p><p>The government didn&#x27;t say if Cuong had been arrested but said that he had been expelled from the party. </p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ZWt2jHIgmc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Truong Quoc Cuong, 59, ‘committed serious violations and weakness while on duty between 2007 and 2016’, the government said in a statement.