DIRECTIVE

IMPROVING HEALTHCARE\r\nFOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC; FLEXIBLY ADAPTING, CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS RAPID RECOVERY\r\nAND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The health sector holds a particularly significant\r\ntask in taking care of people’s health, ensuring social security, and driving\r\ntowards sustainable development of the nation. In recent years, despite\r\nnumerous difficulties, officials and workers of the health sector across the\r\ncountry have expended great efforts and played the vital role in COVID-19\r\ncontrol and health examination and treatment for the general public.

With the participation of the entire political\r\nsystem and society, Vietnam has essentially controlled COVID-19 and facilitates\r\nsocio-economic recovery and development. However, contrary to various\r\nachievements, institutions and policies in the health sector are riddled with\r\ndisadvantages; grassroots healthcare, preventive healthcare, pharmaceuticals\r\nindustry, and medical devices have yet to met the demand; income, incentive\r\npolicies for health workers are inappropriate, private life of certain health\r\nworkers remain disadvantaged; the lack of medicine, equipment, devices,\r\nbiologicals in several hospitals and provinces have not been adequately dealt with;\r\ndisbursement of public investment in health sector is slow, etc. In addition,\r\nthe COVID-19 continues to behave unpredictably and set more challenges for the\r\nhealth sector and the entire political system.

In order to improve effectiveness of healthcare for\r\nthe general public; flexibly adapt and contribute towards rapid and sustainable\r\ndevelopment, the Prime Minister hereby requests:

1. Thoroughly disseminate the following\r\nprinciples:

(1) Promptly and comprehensively regulate\r\nprinciples of the Communist Party regarding healthcare, especially Resolution\r\nNo. 20-NQ/TW, Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 12^th Central Executive\r\nCommittee, and Resolution of the 13^th National Congress.

(2) Continue to place health and lives of the\r\ngeneral public first and foremost. Work effectively, practically, and to serve\r\nthe general public. All health officials and health workers must memorize and\r\nadhere to the teaching of Ho Chi Minh and the 12 healthcare virtues; keep\r\nlearning and improving professional skills, procedures, and theory.

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(4) Preserve unity even in difficult time.\r\nHighlight responsibility, initiative, and creativity, especially those of\r\npersons holding leading, managerial positions in carrying out tasks of the\r\nsector and local government regarding healthcare affairs, especially in\r\nCOVID-19 control first and foremost.

(5) Carry out tasks with focus and specific goals.\r\nIdentify important, urgent tasks for immediate resolution; ensure sufficient\r\nfulfillment of regular tasks; effectively deal with arising issues; develop\r\nroadmaps, plans, and assign specific tasks for medium-term and long-term tasks.\r\n

(6) Approach comprehensive development of\r\nhealthcare sector, including both public and private healthcare.

2.\r\nExtensively coordinate COVID-19 control

- Effectively implement the Program for COVID-19\r\ncontrol and healthcare-related contents in the Program for socio-economic\r\nrecovery and development; stay ready for all situations and prevent the\r\nepidemic from spreading again. Strictly and effectively implement commands of\r\nthe Prime Minister, especially testing, quarantine, and treatment; strictly\r\ncomply with 2K rules (khẩu trang, khử khuẩn) (facemasks and sanitation) +\r\nvaccine + medicine + treatment + technology + awareness + other measures.

- Ministry of Health continues to play the vital\r\nrole; is responsible for encouraging, guiding, and inspecting epidemic control,\r\nand coordinating vaccination, especially in provinces with low vaccination\r\ncoverage.

- Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces\r\nand central-affiliated cities are responsible to the Government and Prime\r\nMinister for vaccination in their provinces.

3.\r\nReview and improve regulations and law on healthcare

- Review and improve regulations and policies on\r\nhealthcare by adhering to practical situations, rapidly detect issues and\r\npromptly amend relevant law provisions. Propose, carry out implementation of\r\nnew policies and regulations; promote decentralization and distribution of\r\npowers, improve capacity of officials, and increase inspection.

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- Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Planning and\r\nInvestment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Vietnam\r\nSocial Security shall cooperate with Ministry of Health in amending and\r\npromptly resolving issues and difficulties in healthcare policies such as\r\nprocurement, bidding, medicine and medical device supply, payment of insurance.\r\n

4.\r\nMotivate and improve incentive policies for health workers

- Ministry of Health shall take charge, cooperate\r\nwith Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Labor - War Invalids and Social\r\nAffairs, and relevant authorities in proposing sector-specific salary and\r\nallowance policies (including solutions for keeping and attracting personnel)\r\nfor health workers; policies for assisting students and learners in sectors\r\nrelated to healthcare; policies on acknowledging martyrs and solutions for\r\nprotecting health workers in the performance of their duty.

- Ministries, department, Ministry of Health,\r\nPeople’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall commend,\r\npraise, and highlight groups, individuals contributing towards COVID-19 while\r\ntake actions against violations in accordance with regulations of the Communist\r\nParty and Government.

5.\r\nEnsure sufficient medicine and medical equipment

- Ministries, ministerial agencies, Governmental\r\nagencies, People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall\r\ndirect relevant agencies, organizations, especially medical examination and\r\ntreatment establishments and centralized procuring organizations under their\r\nmanagement shall adequately exercise their functions, powers, and tasks in\r\naccordance with regulations and law on procurement and bidding to ensure\r\nsufficient medicine and medical equipment for the purpose of medical examination\r\nand treatment and be responsible to regulations of the Communist Party and\r\nGovernment for the lack of medicine or medical equipment. Research, amend,\r\npromulgate, or request competent authorities to promulgate legislative\r\ndocuments and coordinate resolution of difficulties in procurement and bidding\r\nfor medicine and medical equipment. Increase application of information\r\ntechnology in providing, connecting and disclosing information on bidding;\r\npromote and strictly manage procurement and bidding, ensure transparency,\r\nscience, effectiveness, efficiency, and strict implementation of regulations of\r\nanti-corruption and group interest.

- Ministry of Health shall amend relevant Circulars\r\nof the Ministry, request competent authorities to promulgate documents to\r\npromptly resolve difficulties in procuring and bidding medicine and medical\r\nequipment. Review and cut down meandering administrative procedures which\r\nhinder the procurement of medicine, medical equipment, biological serving\r\nmedical examination and treatment; increase licensing progress for medicine and\r\nmedical equipment. Promptly guide entities and local governments in\r\nimplementing legislative documents relating to procurement and bidding of\r\nmedicine and medical equipment to allow officials and public officials to\r\nexercise their duties.

- Ministry of Health shall cooperate with Ministry\r\nof Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, Vietnam Social Security and\r\nlocal governments in assessing effectiveness of centralized medicine bidding in\r\norder to propose solutions for improving bidding, procurement effectiveness and\r\nprogress; take charge developing specific regulations on supply, storage, and\r\nprocuring for rare medicine and medicine necessary for treatment of rare\r\ndiseases to promptly serve procurement and treatment of medical establishments.\r\n

- Ministry of Health shall cooperate with Ministry\r\nof Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and relevant agencies and entities\r\nin enhancing inspection, strictly controlling import, ensuring medicine quality,\r\nand managing medicine price as per the law, preventing and taking strict\r\nactions against counterfeit medicine and poor quality medicine.

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- People’s Committees of provinces and\r\ncentral-affiliated cities shall direct affiliated Departments of Planning and\r\nInvestment, Departments of Finance and relevant ministries, departments to cooperate\r\nwith Departments of Health in procuring and bidding for medicine and medical\r\nequipment as per the law.

6.\r\nPromote disbursement, renovate finance and health insurance

- Ministries, departments, and local governments\r\nshall boost disbursement of public investment; capital sources in the Program\r\nfor socio-economic recovery and development; approved tasks and projects in the\r\nNational target program for the period of 2021 - 2025. Ministry of Health,\r\nMinistry of Planning and Investment, and Ministry of Finance shall coordinate,\r\nencourage, guide, and inspect implementation.

- Ministry of Health shall: (1) Assess 2 years of\r\nhospital autonomy according to Resolution No. 33/NQ-CP dated May 19, 2019 of\r\nthe Government; (2) Cooperate with Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Planning\r\nand Investment, and relevant ministries in reviewing regulations on private\r\nsector involvement, public-private cooperation, development of private health\r\nsector; (3) Cooperate with Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Planning and Investment,\r\nMinistry of Finance, and Ministry of Justice in developing solutions for\r\nresolving difficulties, boosting progress of the second facility of Bach Mai\r\nHospital and second facility of Viet Duc Hospital; (4) Cooperate with Ministry\r\nof Finance, Vietnam Social Security, relevant ministries in finalizing\r\nsolutions for adequately determining medical service prices, creating essential\r\nconditions for improving quality of medical examination and treatment,\r\npreventive medicine, and autonomy of medical establishments, securing income of\r\nhealth workers; continue to implement roadmap for health insurance coverage and\r\npeople’s benefits.

- Vietnam Social Security shall take charge\r\nresolving difficulties in paying, settling medical examination and treatment\r\ncosts covered by health insurance, especially medical examination and treatment\r\ncosts covered by health insurance according to annual statement of medical\r\nestablishments appraised by social insurance authorities in accordance with\r\nClause 2 Article 32 of the Law on Health Insurance; regarding difficulties\r\nrelating to policies or regulations, consolidate and report to Ministry of\r\nHealth, Ministry of Finance, Social Security Management Council.

7.\r\nDevelop local healthcare and preventive healthcare system

- Chairpersons of People’s Committees of provinces\r\nand central-affiliated cities shall: (1) Review and improve personnel, increase\r\ncapacity of healthcare sector, especially local healthcare and preventive\r\nhealthcare system; (2) Promote completion of investment procedures and\r\nimplementation progress of local healthcare and preventive healthcare system\r\nusing funding sources of the Program for socio-economic recovery and\r\ndevelopment, ensure adequate human resources for operating and using for the\r\nright purposes, effectively, and efficiently; (3) Allocate expenditure from\r\nstate budget to purchase vaccine and medical biologicals and cover other\r\nrecurrent tasks of the medical sector within policies and regulations\r\npromulgated by the Government; (4) Promote land allocation, implement clearance\r\nwork for construction of new medical establishments in the medium-term public\r\ninvestment plans for the period of 2021 - 2025.

- Ministry of Health shall promulgate lists of\r\nhealthcare services, especially list of preventive healthcare services.

8.\r\nImprove medical examination and treatment quality, combine traditional medicine\r\nwith modern medicine

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- The Ministry of Health shall: (1) Finalize and\r\npromulgate the list of technology in medical examination and treatment, develop\r\ntechnical and economic norms as the basis for medical service prices; (2)\r\nImplement programs for enhanced training, rotating medical officials,\r\ntransferring technology to lower referral; develop solutions and programs for\r\nimproving medical examination and treatment capacity for local levels and\r\nmedical stations, develop family doctor models; (3) Transfer several hospitals\r\naffiliated to Ministry of Health to local governments.

9.\r\nPromote digital transformation, healthcare administrative reform

- Ministries, departments, and local governments in\r\nconcern shall: (1) Improve working ethics, disciplines; promote administrative\r\nreform (enable resolution for difficulties of the general public and\r\nenterprises); improve effectiveness and efficiency of state management; promote\r\ndecentralization, especially in the fields of pharmacy and medical equipment;\r\n(2) Promote and ensure digital transformation in healthcare sector (remote\r\nmedical examination and treatment, online procedures, connection to medicine\r\nsuppliers, health records, cleansing of vaccination data, etc.).

- Ministry of Health shall implement and determine\r\npriorities for effective implementation of digital transformation in the next\r\n2-3 years. Ministry of Public Security (the Presiding authority of Scheme No. 6\r\nof the Government) and ministries shall cooperate with Ministry of Health in\r\nimplementation.

10.\r\nDevelop pharmaceuticals industry, vaccine, and medical equipment

- Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and\r\nTrade, Ministry of Science and Technology shall implement the Program for\r\ndevelopment of domestic pharmaceuticals industry (Decision No. 376/QD-TTg dated\r\nMarch 17, 2021), especially priority projects and programs for investment;\r\npromote scientific research and technology transfer, especially those regarding\r\nmedicine, vaccine, biologicals; utilize Vietnam’s advantages regarding herbal\r\nmedicines, etc. ensure sufficient quantity, quality, price, and satisfaction of\r\ndemands of medicine to meet epidemic control and medical examination and\r\ntreatment.

- Ministry of Health, relevant ministries shall\r\ncoordinate development of medical equipment industry, promote domestic\r\nproduction, and move towards mastering and preventing the lack of medical\r\nequipment which affects medical examination and treatment.

- Ministry of Health shall promote international\r\ncooperation in training, learning from experience to increase medicine and\r\nmedical equipment management capacity; develop pharmaceuticals and medical\r\nequipment industry; promote cooperation to access new drugs sooner.

11.\r\nRenovate and increase effectiveness of communication affairs

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12. Hereby requests Vietnamese Fatherland\r\nFront, socio-political organizations, unions, associations, enterprises in\r\nVietnam and around the world, international organizations, and the general\r\npublic to cooperate, remain interested, share, support the healthcare sector,\r\nand assist the healthcare sector in developing rapidly and sustainably,\r\nfulfilling the task to care, protect, and improve people's health in order to\r\nhelp country thrive and ensure the well-being of the people./.

PP. PRIME\r\n MINISTER
\r\n DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
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\r\n Vu Duc Dam