Prohibited acts in healthcare services in Vietnam

Prohibited acts in healthcare services in Vietnam (Internet image)

1. Prohibited acts in healthcare services in Vietnam

Prohibited acts in healthcare services in Vietnam are stipulated in Article 7 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023, including:

- Infringe patients’ rights.

- Refuse or intentionally delay to refer patients to emergency care services, except as defined in Article 40 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023.

- Carry out healthcare services that do not satisfy the conditions set out in Article 19 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023.

- Deliver healthcare services that do not fall within the scope of practice or operation permitted by competent authorities, except in case of emergency care needed, or as these healthcare services are delivered under the mobilization or dispatch decisions of competent authorities in case of natural disaster, catastrophe, group-A infectious disease or state of emergency.

- Practice medicine at the time or place which is not stated in the registration for practice of medicine, except as specified in clause 3 of Article 36 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023.

- Fail to comply with regulations on professional and technical expertise in healthcare; use any professional method and technique, or medical equipment that has not been approved by competent authorities.

- Prescribe medications that have not obtained marketing authorization as provided in law on pharmacy in healthcare.

- Commit the act of harassment in the delivery of medical services.

- Prescribe patients drugs, technical and medical equipment services; suggest referral to other medical establishments to patients, or commit other acts for personal gain.

- Erase and tamper with medical records in order to falsify information on medical examination and treatment, or create fraudulent medical records or other documents showing medical examination and treatment results.

- Any practitioner sells drugs in any form, except in the following cases:

+ Traditional medicine doctors, traditional medicine physician assistants or traditional medicine herbalists who sell traditional medications;

+ Holders of folk remedies who sell drugs prescribed according to folk remedies under their registered ownership.

- Drink alcohols, beers and other alcoholic beverages; use narcotics; smoke tobaccos or cigarettes at medical establishments or while on duty.

- Use any form of superstition in the distribution of medical services.

- Refuse to participate in rendering medical services in case of a natural disaster, calamity, group-A infectious disease or a state of emergency according to the mobilization or dispatch decision of the competent body or person, except as defined under the regulatory provisions of point a and b of clause 3 of Article 47 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023.

- Any medical establishment provides healthcare services if it

+ does not hold any operating license;

+ is under suspension of its operations;

+ delivers healthcare services that do not fall within the scope of permitted professional activities, except in case of emergency, or as these healthcare services are delivered under a mobilization or dispatch decision of the competent authority in response to a natural disaster, catastrophe, group-A infectious disease or state of emergency.

+ rents, borrows; leases or lends out practicing or operating licenses.

- Misuse a practitioner's image and status to speak about, propagate and encourage patients to use unrecognized medical tests or therapies.

- Infringe upon the life and health, or offend the honor and dignity, of practitioners and other people working at medical establishments, or damage or sabotage medical establishments’ property.

- Prevent patients who are subject to the involuntary treatment requirement from entering medical establishments, or intentionally render involuntary treatment on people who are not subject to the involuntary treatment requirement.

- Advertise beyond the scope of practice or professional activities approved by a competent authority; abuse medical knowledge to falsely advertise medical services.

- Publish information not yet validated by competent authorities that medical incidents are ascribed to medical practitioners or medical establishments.

2. Principles of provision of medical services in Vietnam

- Respect, protect, and treat patients equally, and stop stigma or discrimination towards patients.

- Give priority to have access to medical services to patients in a state of emergency; children aged under 6 years; pregnant women; people with extremely severe disabilities; people with severe disabilities; people aged 75 years or older; people rendering meritorious services to the revolution, depending on the particular characteristics of each medical establishment.

- Respect, cooperate with and protect practitioners and other persons on duty at medical establishments.

- Promptly implement and comply with regulations on professional and technical expertise in healthcare.

- Comply with the code of professional ethics in the practice of medicine approved by the Minister of Health.

- Ensure equality and fairness among medical establishments.

(Article 3 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023)

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