Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh today [July 15] appointed Secretary of Bac Ninh Province Party Committee Dao Hong Lan as  Acting Minister of Health.

Acting Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan. File Photo

The appointment came following the arrest of Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long due to his involvement in the Covid-19 test kit scam by Viet A Company, which had inflated the price of  Covid-19 test kits by 45% before selling them to health facilities across the country for unfair gains.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh then assigned Vice Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen to be temporarily in charge of the Ministry of Health’s operation until he appoints a new minister.

Under current regulation, Lan would remain acting minister until her appointment is approved by the National Assembly.

Lan has no background in the health sector before taking over the position.

Born in 1971 in the northern province of Hai Duong, she majored in economics and graduated from the National University of Economics in 1993.

She later held different positions in the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs and became its deputy minister in late 2014.

In addition to Lan as the Acting Minister, in the leadership of the Ministry of Health currently there are four deputy ministers, namely  Do Xuan Tuyen, Nguyen Truong Son, Tran Van Thuan, and Nguyen Thi Lien Huong.