Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha: No shortage of vaccines for expanded immunization

On May 11, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting to listen to the Ministry of Health report on the issuance of legal documents; hospital autonomy; handling of drugs and preventive medical biological products and a number of related issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at the meeting. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

Ensure the principle of correctness and completeness

At the meeting, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the Ministry is focusing on developing decrees and circulars guiding the implementation of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (effective from January 1, 2024); completing draft circulars related to the provisions of the Law on Prices and the Law on Bidding according to Resolution 30/NQ-CP dated March 4, 2020 on continuing to implement solutions to ensure medicines and medical equipment.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that the circular on bidding for drugs and medical equipment must cover general principles, while providing detailed, specific, and industry-specific instructions; have a mechanism for a scientific council to review bidding criteria and standards to ensure the quality of medical examination and treatment and economic efficiency; and pay attention to collecting opinions from medical facilities and health management agencies within the scope of the regulation.

Regarding the circular guiding the construction of medical service prices upon request, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that it is necessary to ensure the principles of correct and full calculation of costs and automatic price adjustment. In addition, it is also necessary to ensure the principles of centralized bidding and cost reduction in bidding for drugs, vaccines and medical biological products.

Notably, many opinions have raised difficulties and problems in ensuring vaccines for the expanded immunization program, after switching from centralized ordering by the Ministry of Health for allocation to localities, to localities bidding to buy vaccines themselves.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Health to preside over and organize centralized ordering or bidding, on the basis of balancing vaccine aid sources, to avoid a shortage of vaccines for expanded vaccination.

Early autonomy for the remaining 47 hospitals

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan speaks. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

Regarding the results of the implementation of extending and granting registration numbers for circulation of drugs and medical equipment, Minister Dao Hong Lan said that the Ministry of Health is actively implementing Decree No. 07/2023/ND-CP on amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 98/2021/ND-CP dated November 8, 2021 of the Government on management of medical equipment; Resolution No. 80/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on continuing to implement a number of policies in preventing and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and using registration certificates for circulation of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients that expire from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024.

“Up to this point, there is basically no shortage of drugs related to the extension. The total number of drugs with valid circulation registration certificates and drug ingredients at present is about 22,000 drugs,” said Minister Dao Hong Lan.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has 35 hospitals that have been assigned financial autonomy for the 2022-2025 period, while 57 units need agreement from the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Health has issued a decision on granting financial autonomy to 10 units in accordance with the consensus of the Ministry of Finance (in which, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases is financially autonomous in group 2). There are currently 47 units classified as financially autonomous in groups 3 and 4, the Ministry of Finance is continuing to review and reach agreement with the Ministry of Health.

Regarding this issue, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that in May 2023, the Ministry of Finance unify the classification of autonomy into groups 3 and 4 for the remaining 47 units of the Ministry of Health.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health has a separate document guiding medical facilities on models, mechanisms, and policies of synchronous autonomy at different levels, including prices for medical examination and treatment services, state resources to ensure social security, fairness in access to medical examination and treatment services, and health care for people. The Ministry of Health includes the content of hospital autonomy and public-private partnership in the document guiding the implementation of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

Regarding the difficulties, obstacles and plans to promote the two projects of Viet Duc Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital, Branch 2 in Ha Nam, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the urgent need to complete the two hospital projects; at the same time, gave his opinion on the plan to continue implementing the two projects; complete procedures for bidding, acceptance, budget preparation, and local adjustments in accordance with regulations.

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