Introduction
Historical Background
In 2002, the Rural and Local Consumer Health Products Protection Promotion [RLCP] Division was established in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Public Health.
Roles and Responsibilities
Major roles and responsibilities of the RLCP are as the following:
- To promote, support, supervise, monitor and evaluate the consumer health products protection in the rural and local areas.
- To promote and support both government and non-governmental organizations for the consumer health products protection.
- To promote, support and develop the health product quality and safety in the communities.
- To serve as the cooperating center for the community health products development.
- To cooperate with or support the other related organizations as assigned.
Policies
Giving Priority to Multilateral Cooperation Framework
The issue of consumer protection on health products has now gained more and more public attention. The main problem faced by FDA is that the numbers of officers of consumer protection groups and public health pharmacists are not adequate to take action in such a vast mission. To show the panorama of such protection, there shall be a vision of the cooperation between provincial authorities and other related government agencies such as agriculture, commerce, industry, and medical sciences offices or centers. In the year 2000, there was a project on “supporting and developing health products in communities for economic development”. The role of provincial public health offices was to cooperate with other government agencies such as provincial administration organizations, municipalities, district offices, etc. To reach the target, FDA has to cooperate with the then Bureau of Health Policy and Planning in order to set up the mission according to the law relating to decentralization of authorities to local administration organizations.





