The Government of Vietnam's Directive on Implementing Solutions to Ensure Adequate Medicine and Medical Equipment for Healthcare Services
Prime Minister Directs Intensive Implementation of Solutions to Ensure Sufficient Medicine and Medical Equipment for Healthcare Services
Recently, on February 25, 2023, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam signed Official Telegram 72/CD-TTg in 2023 regarding the continuation of solutions to ensure sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services.
The Official Telegram clearly states that, in recent times, the Government of Vietnam and the Prime Minister have directed ministries, central authorities, and local authorities, agencies, and units to urgently procure and supply sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services.
However, there is still a situation where many public healthcare facilities at the central and local levels are facing shortages of medicine and medical equipment, affecting the guarantee of citizens' rights in healthcare services.
To ensure sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam requests:
Ministries, ministry-level agencies, agencies under the Government of Vietnam, the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, based on their assigned functions, duties, and authority, to urgently inspect, understand the situation, promptly guide, and direct the healthcare facilities under their management to decisively implement necessary solutions to ensure sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services, and take responsibility before the Government of Vietnam and the Prime Minister.
Healthcare facilities to enhance responsibility, proactiveness, and flexibility in planning procurement, organizing tenders, and implementing solutions to have sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services; promptly report difficulties and obstacles in procurement, tendering, and supply of medicine and medical equipment to the competent authorities.
Promote the highest spirit of responsibility, dare to think, dare to do in organizing procurement and tendering to ensure transparency, science, efficiency, avoid waste, and strictly adhere to regulations on preventing negativity, corruption, and group interests.
the Government of Vietnam directs the implementation of solutions to ensure sufficient medicine and medical equipment for healthcare services
Responsibilities of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Ensuring Sufficient Medicine and Medical Equipment for Healthcare Services
As directed by the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam in Official Telegram 72/CD-TTg in 2023, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment have the following responsibilities:
(1) The Ministry of Planning and Investment:
- Urgently and meticulously guide units and localities to implement legal documents related to the tendering of medicine and medical equipment according to their authority, focusing on guiding contractors to provide machines to healthcare facilities after winning tenders for supplies and chemicals.
- Preside, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Security, and relevant ministries and agencies, to guide the formulation of planned prices for procurement and tendering to facilitate healthcare facilities, ensuring transparency and public disclosure.
- Coordinate with the Ministry of Health to develop regulations on the tendering of medicine and medical equipment in the Law on Tendering project, ensuring it aligns with the characteristics of the healthcare sector.
(2) The Ministry of Finance:
- Urgently review, amend, supplement, or issue new documents on the management and use of public assets and budget-originated funds for procurement of medicine and medical equipment according to its authority or submit to competent authorities for issuance according to regulations; particularly issues regarding: procurement cost estimate preparation, revenue and expenditure estimates.
- The Ministry of Information and Communications directs the media to report on issues related to medicine, biological products, medical supplies, and manpower at hospitals, ensuring accuracy, promptness, honesty, objectivity, feasibility, and efficiency.
- The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with relevant ministries, central authorities, and local authorities, monitors and urges the implementation of this Official Telegram, and promptly reports to the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam on issues and focuses on leadership, direction, and organization of implementation to overcome the shortage of medicine, biological products, supplies, and medical equipment for healthcare services by March 2023.
Responsibilities of the Ministry of Health in Ensuring Sufficient Medicine and Medical Equipment for Healthcare Services
In Official Telegram 72/CD-TTg in 2023, the Prime Minister of the Government of Vietnam requires the Ministry of Health to:
- Urgently issue or submit to competent authorities to issue documents to promptly resolve legal difficulties and obstacles in the procurement and tendering of medicine and medical equipment, focusing on completing and submitting to the Government of Vietnam a resolution to amend and supplement Resolution 144/NQ-CP dated November 5, 2022, on ensuring medicine, medical equipment supply, and payment of medical insurance examination and treatment expenses.
- Review and minimize administrative procedures causing trouble and difficulty in the implementation of procedures for purchasing medicine, medical equipment, and biological products for healthcare services; accelerate the licensing of medicine and medical equipment; facilitate businesses trading in medicine and medical equipment in accordance with the law.
- Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to promptly guide units, healthcare facilities, and localities in implementing legal documents related to purchasing and tendering of medicine and medical equipment according to authority to resolve the shortage of medicine and medical equipment in some healthcare facilities in Q1 2023, avoiding evasion, shifts, delays, and lack of accountability.
- Urgently review and assess the specific reception of used machinery and medical equipment donated, contributed, sponsored, or aided by organizations and individuals for healthcare facilities; based on that, cooperate with the Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and agencies to propose specific solutions to bring these equipment into use to avoid wasting resources, report to competent authorities for consideration and decision.
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