If I have multiple masks and rapid screening masks at home, can I sell them online? Taiwan Food and Drug Administration warns: If you violate the law, you may be imprisoned for three years and fined tens of millions
As the COVID-19 epidemic gradually slows down, if you have excess medical masks or rapid screening reagents at home, can you sell them through social media or shopping platforms? Is it legal to purchase medical supplies such as oximeter, thermometer or contact lenses from abroad and sell them in Taiwan? The Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, Food and Drug Administration warns that if you sell medical equipment to “non-medical equipment vendors”, you are suspected of violating the relevant provisions of the Medical Equipment Management Act, and you may be in danger of breaking the law.
If you have many masks and rapid screening tests at home, can you sell them online? Taiwan Food and Drug Administration warns: If you violate the law, you may be imprisoned for 3 years and fined tens of millions!
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration pointed out that if people who are not medical device dealers sell medical devices through communication transactions (such as selling through social media) or general physical channels, they violate the provisions of Article 13 of the Medical Device Administration Act and will be punished by Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. A fine of not less than 30,000 yuan but not more than 1 million yuan is imposed. In addition, you must not import medical equipment that has not been approved by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, or use communication transactions to purchase medical equipment from abroad and sell it. Violators will be sentenced to a fixed term of not more than 3 years in accordance with Article 62 of the Medical Equipment Management Act. Imprisonment, criminal detention, or a fine of not more than NT$10 million.
Taiwan Food and Drug Administration emphasizes that legal medical device vendors selling medical devices on communication trading platforms must label complete information in accordance with the “Items and Compliance Matters for Medical Devices Sold through Communication Trading Channels.” If the public wants to purchase medical equipment through communication transactions, please confirm whether complete information has been disclosed, and make good use of the “three steps for medical equipment safety: first recognize, second look, and thirdly know how to use”:
First, you must first understand that the product you want to purchase is a medical device.
Second, when purchasing products, read clearly the medical device license number and other relevant information stated on the communication trading platform.
Third, read the Chinese instructions carefully before use to use it correctly.
Is it possible to violate the law by purchasing medical supplies abroad? Are there quantity limits for invisible eye and OK bandages?
In addition to controlled drugs, people traveling abroad will inevitably “purchase” goods for relatives and friends as travel expenses. In fact, specific medical equipment also has a corresponding upper limit on quantity. If the upper limit is exceeded or no application is made, a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$1 million may be imposed according to law. If the item and quantity regulations are met, customs clearance can be completed easily without prior application for approval; if the quantity exceeds the limit or is not approved, approval from the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration must be obtained before it can be imported for personal use; if you are not sure whether the product is a medical device, You can check the license database of Taiwan Food and Drug Administration.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration lists common shopping items and purchase quantity limits for Taiwanese as follows:
OK stretch: 60 pieces/piece
Liquid OK stretch: 4 strips/can/bottle/support
Medical cotton swabs: 200 pieces
Sanitary condoms: 60 pieces
Tampons: 60 pieces
Daily disposable contact lenses: 60 pieces (limited to one brand and two different powers per person)
Corrective lenses: 1 pair
Medical masks: 250 pieces/piece
What medical materials can be sold? You can understand the types of medical materials traded through communication at once
Taiwan Food and Drug Administration further pointed out that medical materials are divided into three major levels according to the degree of risk, from low to high risks. The first to third levels are listed below:
Level 1: Such as stethoscopes, OK bandages, medical masks, gauze, elastic bandages, tongue depressors, mechanical wheelchairs, etc.
Level 2: daily wear/daily disposable contact lenses, blood glucose machines, blood pressure monitors, thermometers, ear thermometers, tampons, condoms, low-frequency therapy devices, body fat meters, etc.
Level 3: Including intraocular lenses, artificial tooth roots, hyaluronic acid implants, corneal reshaping sheets, silicone breast implants, coronary stent, heart rhythm regulator, etc.
Among them, specific medical materials can be bought and sold through “communication transactions” (meaning sales on the Internet and TV shopping transactions), which can be further subdivided into two major levels:
First-level medical equipment can be traded via communication: body fat meter, tampons, surgical masks, alcohol pads, betadine pads, condoms, Vaseline gauze, seam-free tape, hard or soft contact lens maintenance solution, etc.
Second-level medical equipment can be traded via communication: moon cups, blood pressure cuffs, medical electric scooters, electric wheelchairs, seawater nasal washers, ear thermometers, etc.
The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration urges Taiwanese to travel or negotiate abroad and if they need to bring personal medicines, it is recommended that they carry a copy of the diagnosis certificate or prescription issued by the original medical institution with them. Before going abroad, you can also check the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Overseas Travel Security/Overseas Travel Security Information to find out whether there are special regulations in the country where you are entering, so as to avoid accidentally violating the laws of the country of entry. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration also reminds that when shopping abroad, you must keep the relevant regulations in mind to avoid having a happy trip but being disappointed due to accidentally violating the laws.
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