FPT Retail’s Long Chau vaccination chain again found violating professional standards

The Long Chau pharmacy chain, owned by Vietnam’s major retailer FPT Retail, has been found to have committed multiple violations at its vaccination chain.

The health department of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong reported on Friday that the Long Chau vaccination center 66 in Da Lat town had committed several infractions.

According to an inspection by the local health watchdog on July 7, a junior pharmacist named Hoang Thi Ngoc Chau had been assigned to oversee the center’s vaccine warehouse, as she was fully trained about good storage practice (GSP) for vaccines. However, it turned out that Vu Thi Kim Luan, a nursing staff member, signed documents related to the receipt and distribution of vaccines.

Additionally, the center did not have a GSP record of a cold storage and preservation line used in vaccine production and business process.

The inspection team also discovered that the Long Chau vaccination center had neglected certain procedures related to vaccine storage and distribution, and that vaccines were not being properly preserved as per regulations.

The Lam Dong health department asked the Long Chau vaccination center to rectify these violations.

Earlier on July 8, a Long Chau vaccination center in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, had raised concerns after a patient felt dizzy and fainted following the administration of two vaccine doses there.

This year, FPT Retail plans to open an additional 100 Long Chau vaccination centers, raising its total vaccination facilities to 155.

In the first half of 2024, FPT Long Chau pharmacy chain posted a 67% year-on-year increase in revenue to VND11.5 trillion ($459 million), accounting for 63% of FPT Retail’s total revenue.