A ventilator serving treatment of COVID-19 patients (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Finance reported that the State spent more than 200 million USD on combating COVID-19 in the first half of this year, bringing its total spending for this fight since 2020 to more than 930 million USD. 360 million USD of which went to purchasing medical supplies and equipment.

Economist Nguyen Minh Phong said, 'The latest allocation will not be the last one. People will feel more secure if the money is wisely managed, because it will mean more medical supplies for better treatment of seriously-ill patients. Current shortages of treatment services, respirators, and medicines will improve.'

Social security expert Mac Van Tien said Vietnam survived the first three outbreaks of COVID-19 with an effective pandemic response and public unity. 

'This additional allocation is timely aid that will provide more resources to solve ongoing problems. We need to improve our forecasting and preparedness for non-traditional threats; otherwise, the whole economy will be affected. We must ensure that the resources reach the right people,' says Tien.

222 million USD is a large sum of money. Its management and disbursement must be in accordance with regulations and ensure transparency, thrift, and efficiency.