Piloting long-term outpatient prescriptions

The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management - Ministry of Health has received comments on issues related to outpatient prescription of chronic diseases.

Among them, there are opinions agreeing to prescribe outpatient treatment with a longer duration of medication than the current regulation (30 days).

In addition, the contributions also raised issues that need to be specifically regulated to ensure safe use of drugs, such as: when prescribing drugs for more than 30 days for some long-term treatment diseases, there needs to be a specific assessment of treatment control and possible complications; the impact of prescription adjustments on patients with chronic diseases related to the issue of periodic re-examination. At the same time, it is necessary to stipulate that for some specific diseases, drugs cannot be prescribed for more than 30 days.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that the Ministry of Health will pilot outpatient prescriptions for the treatment of chronic diseases lasting up to 90 days. The pilot period is 6 months, expected from October 1, 2024 to the end of March 2025, with hospital directors assigned to issue a pilot list for each unit.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan noted that the application of outpatient prescriptions must depend on the patient's condition, health status and other factors, especially based on the specific assessment of the treating physician.

The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management needs to propose and select suitable hospitals to pilot the long-term outpatient prescription program. After the pilot, the Department will evaluate, summarize, and propose to include it in the circular.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-diem-ke-don-thuoc-ngoai-tru-dung-dai-ngay-185241001152644574.htm