NA Standing Committee urges early issue of new COVID-19 control master plan for 2022-2023

The National Assembly (NA)'s Standing Committee has urged the Government to early issue a master plan on COVID-19 prevention and control for 2022-2023 to deal with many urgent issues such as COVID-19 test kit prices, the opening of tourism sector and the teaching activities amid the rising infection number.

The committee's members made the call after listening to a report of the Ombudsman Committee summing up requests and opinions from voters across the countries, including those related to COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the time to come, at a meeting on March 14.

Chairman of the committee Duong Thanh Binh said voters showed concern about the poor management over COVID-19 test kit prices and the sale of COVID-19 treatment drugs with unclear origin on social networks, as well as the shortage of labourers in factories due to the pandemic and the rising infections at schools. Voters and citizens are also worried about the impacts of petrol price hike on production and daily activities, the tragic waterway accident in Quang Nam and rising cyber crimes, he said.

Binh highlighted that voters showed satisfaction at the prompt actions taken by the Party and State in protecting Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine and the timely response by the NA to the hike in petrol prices . The report said that so far, 1,705 out of 1,707 requests that voters sent to the second session of the 15th NA have been handled or received responses, along with 204 out of 923 requests sent in after the session and 20 out of 218 others sent to the first extraordinary session of the 15th NA.

The NA Standing Committee asked the Government and the Prime Minister to direct ministries and sectors to roll out measures to effectively manage the prices of commodities and services amid petrol price rise, and tackle frauds and appropriation of property via the internet and telecommunications networks.

The Ministry of Health should give prompt guidance and favourable conditions for people to purchase COVID-19 treatment drugs for home treatment and simplify the procedures of issuing certificates of recovery from COVID-19, the committee suggested.

NA Vice Chairman Tran Quang Phuong requested the Ombudsman Committee to study ideas given at the working session to complete its report, which should highlight recommendations to the Government, particularly those related to the COVID-19 prevention and control scheme./.