Social services in medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from March 1, 2025

Social services in medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from March 1, 2025​ (Image from the Internet)

On December 31, 2024, the Minister of Health of Vietnam issued Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT stipulating the implementation of social services in medical examination and treatment facilities.

Social services in medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam from March 1, 2025

According to Article 2 of Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT, social services in medical examination and treatment facilities for patients and their relatives (hereinafter collectively referred to as patients) include one or more of the following services:

(1) Providing Emergency Assistance Services for Patients:

- Assessing risk and psychological, social needs to screen and categorize patients. During the assessment, paying attention to patients who are children, women, persons with disabilities, those with mental health disorders, the elderly victims of violence, abuse, exploitation, disasters, or suspected victims of violence, abuse, exploitation, and other cases requiring urgent support;

- Coordinating with departments, units, and relevant authorities to support psychological, social issues and meet the urgent needs of patients regarding medical care, finance, drinking water, food, clothing, essential items suitable to the actual situation of the patients and the medical examination and treatment facilities;

- If necessary, referring patients to suitable medical facilities, educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, or other organizations according to the support needs of the patients.

(2) Providing Guidance, Intervention, and Recovery Services for Patients:

Besides the provisions stipulated in (1), the provision of guidance, intervention, and recovery services for patients is carried out as follows:

- Arranging to welcome and provide the best conditions for patients upon visiting the facilities for medical examination and treatment, aiming at patient satisfaction;

- Creating a Social Work File (as necessary and appropriate) according to the regulations in Appendix I issued with Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT;

- Developing and implementing an intervention and assistance plan for patients according to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 4 of Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT;

- Supervising and evaluating intervention activities according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 4 of Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT.

(3) Health Education and Communication:

- Developing a health education and communication plan for the community;

- Collaborating with departments, units within the medical examination and treatment facilities to develop a health communication and education plan for patients;

- Coordinating the development of content and materials to introduce and promote the image, services, and activities of the medical examination and treatment facilities to the patients and community through organizing activities, programs, events, conferences, workshops, internal information channels, and on digital platforms.

(4) Organizing Resource Mobilization for Social Work Activities:

- Acting as the focal point in developing a resource mobilization plan to implement social work activities, including mobilizing resources to support individual patients;

- Organizing resource mobilization to implement social work activities according to planned provisions and legal regulations.

Responsibilities of social services personnel in medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam

Social services personnel in medical examination and treatment facilities in Vietnam shall have the following responsibilities:

- Implement duties belonging to social services stipulated in Article 2 of Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT.

- Manage cases of patients utilizing social services.

- Organize interdisciplinary collaboration including social services personnel, medical staff, and experts from relevant fields to provide comprehensive health care for patients.

- Organize interdisciplinary coordination between medical examination and treatment facilities and other agencies, organizations to address the psychological, social issues of patients.

(Article 6 of Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT)

More details can be found in Circular 51/2024/TT-BYT, effective from March 1, 2025.

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