Decision No. 1976/QD-TTg Approves the Master Plan for the Development of Medicinal Materials until 2020 and Orientations until 2030

Pursuant to …;
"5. The pre-tax weighted average cost of capital i (%) is determined according to the formula below:approves the master plan for the overall development of medicinal materials
until 2020 and orientations until 2030

PRIME MINISTER

Based on the Law on the Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Medicine Law dated June 14, 2005;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the master plan for the overall development of medicinal materials until 2020 and orientations until 2030 with the main contents as follows:

I. VIEW ON THE MASTER PLAN

1. Sustainable development of medicinal material resources in Vietnam based on effectively utilizing all potential natural and social conditions to develop medicinal plant cultivation areas, linked with the conservation and reasonable exploitation of natural medicinal materials; protecting biodiversity and ecological environment.

2. Developing medicinal materials towards industrial production to meet market demands, linking raw material production with product consumption, establishing medicinal plant cultivation areas linked with processing industry, diversifying products to ensure safety, quality, high competitiveness, meeting domestic demand for medicinal materials and exports.

3. The State supports investment in research and application of science, technology, and techniques in preserving genetic resources, exploiting natural medicinal materials, cultivating, processing medicinal materials, and products derived from medicinal materials.

4. Encouraging economic sectors to participate in investment in developing medicinal plant cultivation, promoting the export of medicinal materials and products derived from them, contributing to gradually increasing the share of the pharmaceutical industry in the gross domestic product (GDP).

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

a) Develop medicinal materials into an industrial production sector, based on applying science and technology, modernizing equipment in research and selection of varieties, cultivation, processing, extraction, and technology transfer to create high-quality products competitive in domestic, regional, and global markets.

b) Manage, exploit, and use medicinal material resources sustainably to serve health care and economic development goals; focusing on protecting, conserving, and developing valuable medicinal plant genetic resources; preserving, promoting, and strengthening protection of traditional knowledge about the use of medicinal plants by ethnic communities.

2. Specific objectives

a) Conservation and exploitation of natural medicinal materials

- Plan forest areas and regions with natural medicinal materials in eight key medicinal material regions including Northwest, Northeast, Red River Delta, North Central Coast, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, Southeast, and Southwest to select and reasonably exploit 24 species of medicinal materials (Annex I), achieving approximately 2,500 tons of medicinal materials per year.

- Establish five national medicinal plant conservation gardens representing various ecosystems, serving as centers for collecting, conserving, and planting new medicinal plant species gathered from different localities, representing distinctive climates to support scientific research and medicinal material development. Strive to conserve 50% of the total number of medicinal plant species by 2020 and 70% by 2030.

- Focus on protecting endemic, native, valuable, and highly endangered genetic resources. Gradually protect endangered medicinal plant species safely to ensure sustainable development in nature.

- Effectively prevent the illegal theft and export of native genetic resources.

b) Development of medicinal plant cultivation

- Plan the development of 54 strong medicinal plant species suitable for eight ecological regions (Annex II) according to their growth and development conditions to meet 60% of domestic medicinal material needs by 2020 and 80% by 2030, enhancing the ability to export domestic medicinal materials and products.

- Establish concentrated medicinal plant cultivation areas suitable for each ecological region, with scales meeting market demands; strive to establish Good Agricultural Practices (GACP-WHO) compliant cultivation processes and plant 60 medicinal plant species by 2020 and 120 species by 2030.

c) Development of medicinal plant seed sources

- Strive to provide sufficient medicinal plant seeds for large-scale cultivation and development needs. Supply 60% clean, high-yielding, and high-quality medicinal plant seeds by 2020 and 80% by 2030.

- Reintroduce, import, transplant, domesticate, and develop medicinal plant varieties commonly used in traditional medicine.

- Research and create new medicinal plant varieties with high yield and quality, good characteristics, suitable for each ecological region to serve medicinal material production.

d) Gradually increase the proportion of standardized raw materials (extracts, essential oils, medicinal herb powders) in drug manufacturing factories according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP-WHO) principles, striving to meet 80% by 2020 and 100% by 2030 for standardized raw materials serving domestic drug manufacturing factories.

đ) Create high-quality products with low costs and strong market competitiveness. Pay attention to environmental protection, using GACP-WHO technical procedures, clean technologies, environmentally friendly, and minimally polluting.

e) Invest in building preliminary processing, processing, and extraction factories for medicinal materials, and trading centers for medicinal materials to facilitate the supply and consumption of medicinal material products.

g) Continue supplementing the planning for the development of algae, fungi, animals, marine organisms, microorganisms, and minerals used as medicines in Vietnam to effectively utilize all medicinal resources for people's health care and socio-economic development.

III. CONTENT OF THE PLAN

1. Planning areas for the conservation and exploitation of natural medicinal materials

a) Planning areas for the exploitation of natural medicinal materials

- Conduct surveys, assessments, and identification of the number of species, reserves, and exploitable regions.

- Plan exploitation areas for identified natural medicinal materials in eight ecological regions: Northwest, Northeast, Red River Delta, North Central Coast, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, Southeast, and Southwest.

- Develop plans and sustainable exploitation solutions to contribute to providing natural medicinal materials for production and usage in medical treatment.

b) Establishing a system of conservation gardens for medicinal plants

- Plan a system of conservation gardens for medicinal plants to firmly preserve medicinal plant genetic resources.

- Implement activities for the protection, conservation, and evaluation of genetic resource values, focusing on endemic, native, valuable, and endangered genetic resources.

- Establish five national medicinal plant conservation gardens representing various ecological regions to serve scientific research and medicinal material development.

2. Planning areas for medicinal plant cultivation

Plan eight concentrated cultivation zones for medicinal plants with strengths that are suitable for soil conditions, climate, and ecology to meet market demands, specifically as follows:

a) High mountainous region with subtropical climate: Lào Cai (Sapa), Lai Châu (Sin Ho), and Ha Giang (Dong Van, Quan Ba).

Develop cultivation of 13 types of medicinal plants including four native species: Bitter Alum, Codonopsis Pilosula, Red Paeonia, and Cyathula Officinalis, and nine imported species: Artichoke, Acanthopanax, Clematis, Angelica Sinensis, Phellodendron Amurense, Ligusticum Wallichii, Ophiopogon Japonicus, Notoginseng, and Notopterygium with an area of approximately 2,550 hectares. Prioritize the development of Artichoke, Angelica Sinensis, and Codonopsis Pilosula.

Combine cultivation with research on producing seeds of imported medicinal plants from the north to serve the development of medicinal materials.

b) Mid-mountainous region with subtropical climate: Lào Cai (Bac Ha), Son La (Muong Tai), and Lam Dong (Da Lat).

Develop cultivation of 12 types of medicinal plants including five native species: Bitter Alum, Codonopsis Pilosula, Red Paeonia, Cyathula Officinalis, and Coix Seed, and seven imported species: Artichoke, Atractylodes Macrocephala, White Peony Root, Chrysanthemum Indicum, Acanthopanax, Angelica Sinensis, and Scrophularia with an area of approximately 3,150 hectares. Prioritize the development of Atractylodes Macrocephala, Acanthopanax, and Artichoke.

c) Central Mountainous Region of Northern Vietnam: Bac Giang, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh, Lang Son.

Develop cultivation of 16 types of medicinal plants including 13 native species: Morinda Officinalis, Polygonatum Kingianum, Eclipta Prostrata, Momordica Charantia, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum, Leonurus Japonicus, Desmodium Styracifolium, Clove, Cinnamon, Ginger, Amomum Kravanh, Andrographis Paniculata, Coix Seed, and three imported species: White Peony Root, Atractylodes Macrocephala, and Rehmannia Glutinosa with an area of approximately 4,600 hectares. Prioritize the development of Morinda Officinalis, Momordica Charantia, and Rehmannia Glutinosa; maintain and sustainably exploit Cinnamon and Clove on existing areas.

d) Red River Delta Region: Hanoi, Hung Yen, Vinh Phuc, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh.

Develop cultivation of 20 types of medicinal plants including 12 native species: Chrysanthemum, Phyllanthus Niruri, Eclipta Prostrata, Polygonatum Kingianum, Momordica Charantia, Mulberry, Curcuma Zedoaria, White Angelica Root, Bidens Pilosa, Leonurus Japonicus, Andrographis Paniculata, and Euphorbia Helioscopia, and eight imported species: Mentha Arvensis, White Peony Root, Atractylodes Macrocephala, Magnolia Bark, Rehmannia Glutinosa, Angelica Sinensis, Achyranthes Bidentata, and Phellodendron Amurense with an area of approximately 6,400 hectares. Prioritize the development of Achyranthes Bidentata, Mentha Arvensis, Mulberry, and Andrographis Paniculata.

đ) North Central Region: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An.

Develop cultivation of 10 types of medicinal plants including native species: Morinda Officinalis, Phyllanthus Niruri, Polygonatum Kingianum, Curcuma Zedoaria, Mulberry, White Angelica Root, Leonurus Japonicus, Turmeric, Ginger, and Amomum Kravanh with an area of approximately 3,300 hectares. Prioritize the cultivation of Mulberry and Polygonatum Kingianum.

e) South Central Region: Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa.

Develop cultivation of 10 types of medicinal plants including native species: Morinda Officinalis, Phyllanthus Niruri, Curcuma Zedoaria, White Angelica Root, Curcuma Zedoaria, Turmeric, Ginger, Amomum Kravanh, Amomum Kravanh, and Panax Notoginseng with an area of approximately 3,200 hectares. Prioritize the development of Morinda Officinalis, Curcuma Zedoaria, Amomum Kravanh, and Panax Notoginseng.

g) Western Highlands Region: Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong.

Develop cultivation of 10 types of medicinal plants including native species: Momordica Charantia, Ginger, White Angelica Root, Codonopsis Pilosula, Turmeric, Amomum Kravanh, Ginger, Panax Notoginseng, Herba Ecliptae, and Coix Seed with an area of approximately 2,000 hectares. Prioritize the cultivation of Codonopsis Pilosula and Panax Notoginseng.

h) Southwest and Southeast Regions: An Giang, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Tien Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh.

Develop cultivation of 10 types of medicinal plants including native species: Ginger, Herba Ecliptae, Turmeric, Jackfruit, Seaweed, Pearl Powder, Acacia, Houttuynia Cordata, Bidens Pilosa, and Desmodium Styracifolium with a scale of approximately 3,000 hectares. Prioritize the development of Acacia, Houttuynia Cordata, and Herba Ecliptae.

3. Developing medicinal plant seed sources

a) Implement research on measures for reintroduction, domestication, and importation of medicinal plant seeds. Vigorously promote the application of scientific and technological advancements to select and create high-yield, high-quality medicinal plant seeds to meet production requirements.

b) Implement the production of various types of medicinal plant seeds for production purposes:

- Native medicinal plant seeds: Focus on developing 28 native plant varieties including: Morinda Officinalis, Lonicera Japonica, Morinda Officinalis, Uncaria Rhynchophylla, Chrysanthemum, Codonopsis Pilosula, Curcuma Zedoaria, Eclipta Prostrata, Phyllanthus Niruri, Polygonatum Kingianum, Morinda Officinalis, Momordica Charantia, Ginger, Mulberry, Curcuma Zedoaria, White Angelica Root, Leonurus Japonicus, Desmodium Styracifolium, Euphorbia Helioscopia, Curcuma Zedoaria, Cinnamon, Bidens Pilosa, Amomum Kravanh, Panax Notoginseng, Andrographis Paniculata, Herba Ecliptae, Cyathula Officinalis, and Coix Seed.

- Imported medicinal plant seeds: Concentrate on producing 16 imported medicinal plant varieties to create domestic raw materials including: Artichoke, White Peony Root, Atractylodes Macrocephala, Mentha Arvensis, Magnolia Bark, Rehmannia Glutinosa, Clematis, Angelica Sinensis, Phellodendron Amurense, Ligusticum Wallichii, Achyranthes Bidentata, Notoginseng, Phellodendron Amurense, Notopterygium, Acanthopanax, and Ophiopogon Japonicus.

c) Establish a National Genetic Resource and Medicinal Plant Seed Research Center at the Institute of Medicinal Plants - Ministry of Health to serve research, selection, creation, and supply of high-quality medicinal plant seeds to meet market demands.

4. Planning the system of primary processing, manufacturing, extraction, and preservation facilities for medicinal materials

a) Upgrade and comprehensively renovate infrastructure, innovate technology, and modernize equipment for primary processing, manufacturing, extraction, and preservation facilities for medicinal materials. Invest in building new facilities in a modern and comprehensive manner to ensure each region has at least one factory for primary processing, manufacturing, extraction, and preservation of medicinal materials meeting standards.

b) Develop a system of centralized manufacturing and extraction factories for medicinal materials focusing on five main product groups:

- Production of raw materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, fragrance, health food industries, and export raw materials.

- Production of extracted products: standardized extracts, raw material powders; extraction of essential oils and pure active ingredients. Utilize new technologies such as liquid-liquid extraction and ultrasonic extraction.

- Processing of traditional medicine tablets for medical treatment using Traditional Chinese Medicine.

- Production of finished drugs from medicinal materials to meet the needs for diagnosis and treatment.

- Research and development of certain drugs from medicinal materials with preventive and therapeutic effects against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.

5. Consolidate and build a circulation and supply system for medicinal materials.

Organize and rearrange the circulation and supply system for medicinal materials from central to local levels according to Good Storage Practices (GSP), Good Distribution Practices (GDP), and Good Pharmacy Practices (GPP) standards. By 2020, establish three trading and supply centers for medicinal materials in the Northern, Central, and Southern regions to control the origin and quality of medicinal materials.

IV. MAJOR SOLUTIONS

1. Group of solutions on mechanism and policy for developing medicinal materials.

a) Establish mechanisms and policies regarding land, tax, capital, etc., to create favorable conditions for localities, enterprises, and people to participate in the conservation and development of medicinal materials. Develop and promote concentrated cultivation areas of medicinal materials according to Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for planned species, closely linked to consumption support policies to protect the rights of medicinal material growers.

b) Focus on reviewing, amending, supplementing, and promulgating regulatory legal documents, national technical standards, gradually perfecting the management document system for medicinal materials.

c) Establish preferential policies in production, registration, and circulation of products made from medicinal materials that comply with current regulations and practices, creating a favorable environment for businesses to invest in production and trade, promoting the domestic traditional medicine and medicinal material product market. Prioritize the use of domestically produced traditional medicines and medicinal material products at public health facilities, in government-funded drug procurement auctions, health insurance funds, and national health programs.

d) Establish and promulgate mechanisms and policies to encourage scientific and technological organizations, enterprises, and individuals to invest in research, technology transfer, reception, mastery, and application to produce raw medicinal materials.

đ) Establish mechanisms and policies to encourage marketing, trade promotion, and brand promotion activities for Vietnamese medicinal material products.

e) Review the list of medicinal plant, algae, fungi, marine organisms, animal microorganisms, and mineral substances; issue lists of prohibited and restricted medicinal materials for commercial exploitation to sustainably protect domestic medicinal material resources.

g) Assign specific management responsibilities between ministries, sectors, and localities in the field of medicinal materials.

2. Group of solutions on investment and finance.

a) Prioritize investment in research, selection, and production of medicinal plant seeds to serve large-scale cultivation and development of medicinal materials; investment in conservation, protection, and regeneration of medicinal materials. Invest in infrastructure and technical facilities for research in key medicinal material cultivation areas. Allocate state budget funds for scientific research units related to medicinal materials appropriately.

b) Focus investment in building or upgrading:

- Strengthen infrastructure and technical facilities for medicinal material seed research institutions, universities, and vocational schools towards modernization.

- Upgrade medicinal material extraction facilities, raw medicinal material production, and advanced research and production of pharmaceutical formulations to replace imported raw materials.

- Build new research centers for genetic resources and medicinal material seeds, new product development centers with high scientific content, value-added products, and national products from medicinal materials; some modern pharmaceutical production facilities and medicinal material products. Build five new national medicinal plant gardens for conservation and development of genetic resources and medicinal material seeds.

3. Group of solutions on science and technology.

a) Vigorously apply advanced technologies in research and selection of high-yield and high-quality medicinal plant seeds, in preliminary processing and extraction of medicinal materials to produce high-quality, low-cost products competitive in both domestic and export markets. Use clean, environmentally friendly technologies with minimal pollution.

b) Import advanced genetic resources and medicinal material seeds, absorb new scientific and technological achievements worldwide to develop medicinal materials.

c) Collect, study, and inherit traditional herbal remedies and usage experiences of ethnic communities.

d) Apply research results, proactively transfer advanced technologies, techniques, and equipment to extract medicinal material extracts meeting standards and refine medicinal material products into raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry and other sectors.

đ) Develop and enhance research and technological capabilities in pharmaceutical formulation, biotechnology to serve the production of new drugs. Promote the application of information technology in management and operation from cultivation, harvesting to processing and using medicinal materials in drug production, diagnosis and treatment, and other industries (functional food production, cosmetics, extraction industry).

e) Invest in building a system of research centers for genetic resources and medicinal material seeds to conserve, exploit genetic resources, and develop varieties and cultivation techniques.

4. Group of solutions on human resource development and training.

a) Emphasize the training of human resources for medicinal material work, with policies to attract and utilize experienced and knowledgeable personnel in cultivation, harvesting, processing, and utilization of medicinal materials.

b) Training and reasonable utilization of human resources in the pharmaceutical sector, implementing targeted recruitment and training to address imbalances in pharmaceutical human resources among regions, with particular attention to ensuring sufficient personnel for concentrated medicinal plant areas and medicinal plant development projects. Strengthening training to develop human resources serving investigation, research, and resource management tasks.

c) Enhancing propaganda and education to raise community awareness and capacity regarding conservation, exploitation, sustainable use of natural resources, and environmental protection.

5. Group of solutions on international cooperation

a) Strengthening international cooperation to promote conservation, exploitation, and sustainable use of medicinal plant resources and biodiversity conservation. Cooperating in scientific research, sharing experiences, attracting investment to develop science and technology in the field of medicinal plants; researching applications and receiving transfers of advanced technologies suitable for Vietnam's conditions, environmentally friendly to create breakthroughs in medicinal plant development and produce high-value therapeutic products with competitive advantages in the market.

b) Cooperation in training human resources in countries with strengths in cultivation, processing, seed, and medicinal plant breeding to absorb and apply global scientific advancements.

c) Expanding joint ventures and collaborations with foreign organizations and individuals involved in investing in medicinal plants and products derived from them.

V. IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

1. From now until 2015:

- Building and perfecting state management systems for medicinal plants. Emphasizing the construction and issuance of mechanisms and policies to facilitate the development of key medicinal plant areas.

- Implementing preferential investment programs.

2. From 2015 to 2020:

- Continuing to supplement and perfect regulatory legal documents for state management.

- Conducting surveys and building databases on the potential and current status of fungi, algae, animals, marine organisms, microorganisms, and mineral substances used as medicine.

- Establishing and developing pharmaceutical production and trading enterprises and products derived from medicinal plants strong enough to meet domestic needs and for export.

3. From 2020 to 2030:

- Supplementing planning for sources of fungi, algae, animals, marine organisms, microorganisms, and mineral substances used as medicine for sustainable exploitation and development.

- Continuing to develop the potential and advantages of Vietnamese medicinal plants to serve health care and economic and social development.

VI. PREFERRED INVESTMENT PROJECTS FOR MEDICINAL PLANT DEVELOPMENT

Prioritize the implementation of preferred investment projects in the Development Plan for Medicinal Plants up to 2020, with a vision to 2030 (Annex III).

Article 2. Implementation

1. The Ministry of Health

a) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to build detailed plans and implement the contents of the project effectively and on schedule.

b) Taking the lead and coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to study, build, and submit to competent authorities for issuance or issue within their authority mechanisms and policies to socialize the development of medicinal plants.

c) Implementing measures to conserve medicinal plant genetic resources; adopting reasonable exploitation and sustainable use of medicinal plant resources; establishing research and development units for medicinal plants; strengthening the capacity of the pharmaceutical industry, paying attention to developing products from medicinal plants; expanding and consolidating the distribution system for medicinal plants and products derived from them to meet health care requirements.

d) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Science and Technology to research and build a key science and technology program for the development of medicinal plants.

đ) Proposing the Prime Minister establish a steering committee to implement the National Development Plan for Medicinal Plants to enhance inter-sectoral coordination to effectively implement the plan.

e) Organizing guidance, inspection, supervision, and annually compiling reports to the Prime Minister on the results of implementing this plan.

2. Ministry of Planning and Investment

a) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health based on the ability to balance state budget funds to consider and allocate state budget investment capital, mobilize official development assistance (ODA) and other lawful sources of capital to implement the plan.

b) Reviewing, amending, and supplementing the legal regulatory system related to investment and preferential investment to create a favorable environment for the development of medicinal plants.

3. Ministry of Finance

a) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Health based on the ability to balance state budget funds to consider and allocate regular funding to implement the plan according to the分级任务并确保每个部分都准确无误地翻译。接下来是剩余部分的翻译：

b) Directing the General Customs Department to strengthen management and strict supervision of the import and export of medicinal plants and cooperate with border forces and market regulation forces to prevent illegal trade in medicinal plants.

4. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Health to implement scientific and technological tasks in selecting, breeding, cultivating, and harvesting medicinal plants.

b) Researching and disseminating agricultural techniques for planting, caring for, and disease prevention in medicinal plants.

5. Ministry of Industry and Trade

a) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Health to manage the sale, export, and import of medicinal plants used in food, functional foods, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industries, essential oils, and fragrances.

b) Cooperating with the Ministry of Health in investigating and surveying sources of medicinal plants for pharmaceutical production; integrating programs to research and develop medicinal plants.

6. The Ministry of Science and Technology

a) Prioritizing the implementation of scientific and technological tasks serving the development of medicinal plants and products derived from them.

b) Increasing investment in developing scientific and technological capabilities for organizations engaged in the development of medicinal plants. Creating favorable conditions for the implementation of intellectual property content, patent registration related to genetic resources, protection of traditional knowledge, and quality standards related to medicinal plants and products derived from them.

c) Cooperating with the Ministry of Health to effectively implement the Key Science and Technology Program for the Research and Development of Medicinal Plants to promote the development of medicinal plants.

7. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities to review land use plans and allocate or lease land to facilitate the implementation of the planning objectives and tasks, in accordance with current regulations.

Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to advise the Government on issuing regulations on managing access to genetic resources and sharing benefits arising from their utilization fairly and reasonably.

8. The Ministry of Education and Training

Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to develop training programs and open new majors to meet the demand for human resources to serve the development of medicinal plants.

9. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities

a) Direct the thorough implementation of the effective contents and tasks of the plan within their jurisdiction.

b) Based on the ability to balance local budget funds, allocate financial resources to implement the plan according to the decentralization of the State Budget Law; establish investment mechanisms and policies to attract resources for the development of medicinal plants, especially focusing on key medicinal plant areas.

c) Based on the characteristics and situation of the locality, develop plans to promptly implement projects and programs within the plan; allocate suitable land for growing and developing the locality's strong medicinal plants.

d) Strengthen propaganda work, raise awareness, and mobilize people to protect medicinal plant resources. Guide reasonable harvesting of medicinal plants while promoting the replanting and development of new medicinal plants, and disseminate experiences in using medicinal plants for health care and protection.

Create favorable conditions for various levels of Traditional Medicine Associations and Medicinal Plant Associations in localities to operate and develop, contributing positively to the cause of health care and protection for the people.

Implement preferential investment programs.

Organize direction, inspection, and supervision of the implementation of this plan within the managed area; submit periodic annual reports to the Ministry of Health for consolidation and reporting to the Prime Minister on the results of implementing this plan.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the date of issuance.

Article 4. THE MINISTERS, HEADS OF GOVERNMENT-LEVEL MINISTRIES, HEADS OF GOVERNMENT-LEVEL AGENCIES, AND CHAIRMEN OF PROVINCE AND CITY PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES DIRECTLY UNDER THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING THIS DECISION./.