Requirement for Rectification of Spirit and Attitude in Medical Staff Service Following the Latest Guidance from the Ministry of Health - How?
How to rectify the spirit and service attitude of medical staff?
On August 29, 2023, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch 1135/KCB-QLCL&CDT in 2023 to guide the handling of press information, review, and rectify the attitude of medical staff.
According to Official Dispatch 1135/KCB-QLCL&CDT 2023, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health stated: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health has always recognized and appreciated the hard work and efforts of doctors, nurses, and medical staff at hospitals, who have been striving to overcome difficulties like labor shortages, funding, medications, equipment, and medical supplies... to ensure the continuation of medical examination and treatment, healthcare services for the people, while building a positive image of medical professionals and gaining the trust of the public in the medical sector.
However, recently, the media has reported on several incidents at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, K Hospital... regarding the spirit, communication attitude, and medical ethics of some medical staff, which have caused public discomfort, created bad public opinion, and affected the image and reputation of the healthcare sector.
Therefore, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management requests hospitals under the Ministry of Health and affiliated with universities; the Health Departments of centrally managed provinces and cities, and the healthcare sectors of ministries and branches to direct their affiliated units to implement the following contents:
- Review, rectify, and supervise the implementation of regulations on the Code of Conduct for officials and public employees, workers working in medical facilities; strengthen training on communication skills for medical staff. Verify, investigate, and strictly handle violating individuals.
- Uphold the motto "Patient-centered", promote activities to ensure patient safety with the goal "Healthcare first do no harm to patients", in response to the theme of World Patient Safety Day 2023 "Listen to patient voices".
- With media units, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management appreciates the initiative in discovering and reporting negative incidents in recent times.
- In addition, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management - Ministry of Health also hopes that the units will continue to accompany the healthcare system in the journey of improving hospital quality, not only discovering the negatives but also recognizing and honoring good examples of individuals and collectives, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the image and portrait of the medical professional "A good doctor is like a gentle mother".
How to rectify the spirit and service attitude of medical staff according to the latest guidelines of the Ministry of Health?
What are the conduct rules for officials and public employees in the healthcare sector when performing their assigned duties and tasks?
According to the provisions of Article 3 Circular 07/2014/TT-BYT, which regulates the conduct of officials and public employees in the healthcare sector when performing their assigned duties and tasks:
* Must-do tasks:
- Strictly adhere to the legal provisions regarding the obligations of officials and public employees.
- Maintain ethics, character, and a healthy, transparent lifestyle as a medical professional according to the principles of diligence, thrift, integrity, righteousness, selflessness.
- Have an awareness of organizational discipline; strictly follow professional processes, tasks, internal regulations, and rules of the sector and the unit.
- Continuously learn to improve professional and ethical standards, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Follow and comply with assigned duties; be proactive and responsible in work.
- Contribute ideas to the operations and management of the unit to ensure effective performance of public tasks and assigned duties.
- Maintain the reputation and honor of the unit, leaders, and colleagues.
- Wear proper uniforms, and carry employee identification cards; wear insignia of legally stipulated areas (if any).
* Prohibited actions:
- Evade responsibility, refuse assigned tasks or duties.
- Abuse assigned functions, duties, authority, and the reputation of the organization or unit to solve personal matters; exaggerate one's role for personal gain.
- Discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, social status, beliefs, and religion in any form.
What are the conduct guidelines for officials and public employees in healthcare examination and treatment facilities?
According to the provisions of Article 6 Circular 07/2014/TT-BYT, which regulates the conduct of officials and public employees in healthcare examination and treatment facilities:
- Strictly implement the 12 medical ethics rules issued in Decision 2088/QD-BYT in 1996 by the Minister of Health.
- Must-do tasks for outpatient visitors:
+ Warmly welcome and guide the necessary procedures.
+ Initially categorize patients, arrange medical examinations in order and according to priority as stipulated.
+ Ensure privacy, respect patients during examinations; inform and explain the health conditions or illness status to patients or their legal representatives.
+ Prescribe examinations, tests, and prescriptions suitable to the illness status and financial capability of patients.
+ Guide and instruct patients or their legal representatives on medication use according to the prescription, care policies, monitoring illness progress, and set re-examination schedules if necessary for outpatients.
+ Assist patients in quickly completing admission procedures as indicated.
- Must-do tasks for inpatients:
+ Quickly welcome, arrange beds for patients, guide, and explain hospital and department regulations.
+ Examine, understand, detect unusual developments, meet the necessary needs of patients; promptly explain the requests and questions of patients or their legal representatives.
+ Advise on health education and guide patients or their legal representatives to implement treatment and care policies.
+ Urgently address professional requests; promptly be available when patients or their legal representatives request.
+ For patients with surgery indications, inform and explain the illness status, surgical methods, and potential risks to patients or their representatives, and fully prepare as stipulated. Clearly explain the reasons if surgery needs to be postponed or halted to the patient or their legal representative.
- Must-do tasks for discharged or transferred patients:
+ Inform and instruct patients or their legal representatives on post-discharge care. In the case of transfer, explain the reason to the patient or their legal representative;
+ Publicly itemize each cost in the healthcare service payment receipt that patients must pay; fully explain when patients or their legal representatives request;
+ Urgently complete discharge or transfer procedures according to regulations;
+ Accept feedback from patients or their legal representatives upon discharge or transfer.
- Prohibited actions:
+ Non-compliance with professional regulations when performing duties;
+ Abuse the profession to profit during medical examination and treatment;
+ Create difficulties, be indifferent to patients or their legal representatives.
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