The Ministry of Health is making efforts to build and perfect institutions so that commune, ward, and special zone health stations can operate effectively.

The draft Circular guiding the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of commune, ward and special zone health stations in provinces and centrally run cities is being completed by the Ministry of Health to decentralize and delegate power to commune, ward and special zone health stations...

At the headquarters of the Ministry of Health , Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong - Deputy Minister of Health chaired an online meeting with 34 provincial and municipal Departments of Health nationwide on the afternoon of September 23 to develop and complete the draft Circular Guiding the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of Commune, Ward and Special Zone Health Stations (collectively called Commune Health Stations) in provinces and centrally run cities.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong - Deputy Minister of Health chaired an online meeting with provinces and cities at the Ministry of Health bridge.

What are the functions of the Commune, Ward and Special Zone Health Stations according to the new draft? Information at the meeting showed that, based on the Conclusions of the Politburo and the Resolution of the National Assembly on arranging and streamlining the apparatus of the political system; reorganizing administrative units at all levels and building a 2-level local government organization model, the Ministry of Health determined that the development, promulgation and implementation of documents guiding the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Commune, Ward and Special Zone Health Stations of provinces and centrally run cities is very important, meeting the requirements of current political tasks. The leaders of the Ministry of Health assigned the focal unit, the Department of Organization and Personnel, to draft a Circular guiding the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Health Stations of communes, wards and special zones in provinces and centrally run cities based on reviewing and replacing Circular No. 33/2015/TT-BYT dated October 27, 2015 of the Ministry of Health to ensure compliance with current legal regulations on decentralization and delegation of power. First of all, agree with the name of the Circular proposed by the focal unit, the Department of Organization and Personnel. Regarding functions, the Commune Health Station has the function of providing professional and technical services: Disease prevention, medical examination and treatment, primary health care, rehabilitation, maternal and child health, the elderly, food safety, drugs, vaccines, basic medical equipment, population, social protection and other medical services according to the provisions of law. Many opinions from the Departments of Health expressed the use of option 2 "Commune Health Station is a public health service unit, directly under the Department of Health of provinces and centrally run cities"; or if the Commune Health Station is considered a public health service unit, will the Draft clarify the ranking or not? Most opinions from the Departments of Health shared the difficulties in attracting and recruiting staff, doctors and nurses to work at Health Stations in mountainous communes, remote areas, so meeting the criteria of 4 doctors at each Station will be difficult to achieve. Representatives of the leaders of the Departments and Divisions of the Ministry of Health also discussed and added points that need to be completed and provided information to the Departments of Health of provinces and cities on the functions, tasks, powers; organizational structure, human resources and implementation provisions of the draft. Many preferential policies for human resources, many solutions for developing grassroots healthcare. After listening to the discussion opinions of the Ministry of Health, the exchanges and recommendations of 14 Departments of Health, concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong affirmed: During the past time, the work of protecting and taking care of people's health has always received special attention from the Party and State, demonstrated through policies, guidelines and priority goals.

 

The meeting participants.

Before and immediately after implementing the two-level local government, the Ministry of Health proactively developed and issued many solutions to develop grassroots health care. In particular, Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo on a number of breakthrough solutions in the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health, issued on September 9, 2025, clearly stated: In the period of 2025-2030, each year, localities will rotate, transfer and mobilize at least 1,000 doctors to work for a limited time at commune health stations, supplementing regular doctors at health stations. 100% of commune-level health stations will be invested in facilities, medical equipment and human resources according to their functions and tasks. By 2027, each commune health station will have at least 4-5 doctors. Currently, Resolution No. 72 has many preferential policies and allowances for staff working regularly and directly in the field of professional activities at Commune Health Stations, as well as preventive health facilities. The Resolution also clearly states that the state budget ensures regular expenditures and investment expenditures for grassroots health and preventive health. At the same time, the Ministry of Health is currently developing a national target program, which also mentions strengthening the capacity of equipment, facilities, and training for Commune Health Stations. Therefore, in addition to central support resources, localities must also have policies to strengthen the capacity of commune health and preventive health in the spirit of Resolution No. 72. This will be a great motivation for doctors and medical staff at the grassroots level to work with peace of mind in order to narrow the gap in quality of medical examination and treatment between health levels. "Maybe in a certain period, the functions and tasks of the Commune and Ward Health Stations will remain as they are now, but additional tasks from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs will be added, such as those related to children, social protection, and some other contents according to Resolution 72 such as initial and periodic health examinations, community screening, and chronic disease management in the community," said Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong./.

Department of General Education (according to suckhoedoisong.vn)

Source: https://yte.nghean.gov.vn/tin-hoat-dong/bo-y-te-no-luc-xay-dung-hoan-thien-the-che-de-tram-y-te-xa-phuong-dac-khu-hoat-dong-hieu-qua-975184