New regulations on the organizational structure of the District Medical Center in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

New regulations on the organizational structure of the District Medical Center in Vietnam from January 1, 2025​ (Image from the Internet)

On November 15, 2024, the Minister of Health of Vietnam promulgated Circular 32/2024/TT-BYT guiding the functions, tasks, authorities, and organizational structure of District Medical Centers, urban districts, district-level towns, cities under provincial management, and central-affiliated cities.

Legal status of the District Medical Center in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

The District Medical Center is a public healthcare service provider under the management of the People's Committee of the district, urban district, district-level town, city under provincial management, and central-affiliated city (collectively referred to as the district-level People's Committee). The District Medical Center has legal  status, its own headquarters, seal, and accounts opened at the State Treasury and banks as prescribed by law.

The District Medical Center is under the comprehensive management of the district-level People's Committee; it is subject to guidance, direction, inspection, and supervision concerning technical expertise and professional skills from the Department of Health and specialized agencies under the provincial-level People's Committee as per legal regulations.

(Article 2 Circular 32/2024/TT-BYT)

New regulations on the organizational structure of the District Medical Center in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

Article 5 Circular 32/2024/TT-BYT stipulates the organizational structure of the District Medical Center from January 1, 2025 as follows:

(1) Leadership of the District Medical Center includes the Director and Deputy Directors.

The appointment, reappointment, transfer, rotation, dismissal, and resignation of positions such as Director and Deputy Directors of the District Medical Center shall be executed according to legal regulations and the provincial-level People's Committee's decentralization.

(2) Functional Departments of the District Medical Center:

- Organization - Administration Department;

- Planning - Professional Department;

- Communication and Health Education Department;

- Nursing Department;

- Finance - Accounting Department.

(3) Specialized Departments of the District Medical Center:

- Department of Disease Control and HIV/AIDS;

- Public Health Department;

- Food Safety Department;

- Population and Development Department;

- Reproductive Health Care and Obstetrics Department;

- Examination Department/ General Clinic;

- Emergency - Intensive Care and Anti-poison Department;

- Internal Medicine Department;

- Surgical Department;

- Surgery - Anesthesia and Recovery Department;

- Pediatrics Department;

- Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation Department;

- Infectious Diseases Department;

- Infection Control Department;

- Laboratory Department;

- Imaging Diagnosis Department;

- Dentistry-Mouth-Jaw, Eye, Ear-Nose-Throat Department;

- Pharmacy - Medical Supplies, Equipment Department;

- Nutrition Department;

- Counseling and Substance Addiction Treatment Department.

(4) Organizations under the District Medical Center:

- Health stations of communes, wards, commune-level towns;

- Other organizations under the District Medical Center (if any): functions and tasks shall be defined by competent authorities based on actual needs and conditions of the locality and as regulated by law.

Note: Based on the nature, characteristics, and actual needs of each locality, competent authorities shall decide:

- The establishment, reorganization of functional departments, specialized departments, health stations of communes, and other organizations under the District Medical Center suitable to the nature of the work, ensuring the criteria, conditions as prescribed by law;

- Define specific tasks for functional departments, specialized departments, health stations of communes, wards, commune-level towns, and other organizations under the District Medical Center as prescribed by law and local decentralization.

More details can be found in Circular 32/2024/TT-BYT, which is effective from January 1, 2025.

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