The third deputy health minister has been selected by the Vietnamese government, while the seat of the ministry’s head remains unoccupied following the retirememt of former Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien last month.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision to appoint Do Xuan Tuyen as Deputy Minister of Health.

Tuyen, 53, was deputy secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the People’s Council in the northern province of Hung Yen before assuming the new post.

He graduated from Military Medical University and was previously director of the medicine center of Hung Yen, the capital city of the namesake province.

Prior to Tuyen’s appointment, the Ministry of Health had two deputy ministers, Truong Quoc Cuong and Nguyen Truong Son.

Multiple departments under the health ministry still lack a leader.

On November 22, members of the lawmaking National Assembly cast their ballots to relieve Nguyen Thi Kim Tien of her position as health minister, as she had reached retirement age.

Tien has assumed the duty as head of a committee in charge of medical care for central officials under the Party Central Committee.

As the NA did not carry out a procedure to appoint anyone to replace Tien, the prime minister is now authorized to assign an acting health minister in accordance with the law.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam was made secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health -- the effective leader of the agency. 

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