Circular No. 18/2020/TT-BYT: Conditions for assurance of nutrition operations in hospital in Vietnam

According to the Circular No. 18/2020/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, conditions for assurance of nutrition operations in hospital are stipulated as follows:

1. Organizational structure for nutrition

- Organization of nutrition operations:

Based on the organizational and operational regulations of each hospital, the nutrition department or nutrition unit, which is a part of the clinical block, shall be established in accordance with the following regulations:

+ Hospitals with at least 100 beds must establish a nutrition department. Every 100 beds must have at least 01 nutrition specialist.

+ Hospitals with less than 100 beds must have a nutrition unit or full-time nutritionist if unable to establish a nutrition department.

- The nutrition department shall comprise:

+ A nutrition advisory unit

+ A nutrition therapy unit

+ A meal processing and provision unit

If there is no meal processing and provision unit, the hospital must sign a contract on meal processing in the hospital with an outside organization or individual, which shall be placed under the professional and food safety supervision of the nutrition department.

2. Nutrition specialists

- Head of the nutrition department must be a full-time tenured employee and meet the following requirements:

+ Is a general medicine doctor or general practitioner holding a certificate of at least 6 months of training in clinical nutrition.

+ Is a nutritionist holding a bachelor’s degree or higher if no one is qualified for the requirements mentioned in Point a herein.

- Persons in charge of nutrition therapy must be a general medicine doctor or general practitioner holding a clinical nutrition training certificate or nutritionist.

3. Facilities for nutrition operations

- Hospitals must provide facilities for nutrition operations as follows:

+ Nutrition department or nutrition unit

+ Meal processing area and eating room must be located away from the morgue, waste retention area, laundry area and isolation area for infectious diseases and fulfill regulatory requirements concerning food safety.

- Milk preparation areas of pediatrics and neonatology departments must have instructions on milk preparation; hot and cold water; clean water, sinks and hand wash liquid.

View more details at the Circular No. 18/2020/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, effective from January 01, 2021.

Thuy Tram

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