HANOI- Vietnam on Wednesday fired a deputy health minister, months after he was accused of involvement in a fake medicine trading ring, the government said on Wednesday.

Truong Quoc Cuong, 59, "committed serious violations and weakness while on duty between 2007 and 2016", the government said in a statement.

Cuong violated the regulations of the Communist Party of Vietnam and lacked responsibility, leading to the licensing and circulating of fake medicines, the statement said.

Cuong, who had been a deputy health minister since 2016, was investigated by police in November after being accused of permitted a local company to import over 54 billion dong ($2.38 million) worth of fake medicine for domestic sale. 

Calls to Cuong's phone went unanswered.

The government didn't say if Cuong had been arrested but said that he had been expelled from the party.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)