After over a month since its establishment, the quick response team to carry out customs clearance of goods serving Covid-19 pandemic prevention under the HCM City Customs Department has supported fast clearance of more than 400 consignments.

An imported vaccine consignment transported by express service is
quickly cleared by the HCM City Customs Department. Photo: H.T

More than 400 consignments cleared per month

The quick response team worked with the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch and stakeholders to conduct customs clearance for the consignment of medical equipment donated by the Government of Poland to the Government of Vietnam on September 10, 2021.

This is one of hundreds of consignments which have been promptly cleared by the quick response team to serve Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control in the last month.

Since its establishment in August 2021, the team has closely collaborated with relevant units to support clearance of 420 consignments of medical equipment, materials and biologicals serving pandemic combat.

In addition, the team has sent 150 proposals on fast clearance for medical supplies and products against the pandemic and answered questions via hotlines.

In the last two days of August, the HCM City Customs cleared two consignments of vaccines imported by the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. Until the end of 2021, the quick response team will facilitate the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to receive other consignments of 31 million vaccine doses by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.

Contribute to fight against the pandemic

With the spirit "Fighting this epidemic, means fighting the enemy," the quick response team was established at the time the pandemic was developing in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces.

This decision has greatly contributed to supplying medical equipment and supplies, especially vaccines, to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces.

The team consists of members who are the leaders of the department and the heads of border gate units with a large volume of import and export goods. Thus, they have introduced the overall programs and solutions to maintain smooth state management on customs and clearance of goods at ports amid the pandemic.

Aid goods cleared immediately by Tan Son Nhat
International Airport Customs at night.

The team has actively coordinated with organizations, business associations and individuals to receive and synthesize information to guide, advise and support customs procedures; worked with relevant competent authorities and customs authorities in handling customs procedures, ensuring the fastest clearance for goods, supplies and medical equipment serving the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In addition to supporting the settlement of hundreds of import documents by non-commercial type (aid, donations, gifts) and commercial business of shipments of drugs, biologicals, vaccines, medical equipment to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic by foreign organizations and individuals for Vietnamese organizations and individuals, the quick response team has also discovered many problems and inadequacies in the import of special products to report and advise the leaders and relevant units.

At the same time, the HCM City Customs Department has also offered solutions to prevent acts of taking advantage of the State's support to illegally trade in these goods.