Doctors and physicians worry about their practice certificates

(Baonghean.vn) – On the afternoon of July 6, Nghe An Department of Health held an online conference to review the health sector's work in the first 6 months of the year and deploy key tasks for the last 6 months of 2017.

Attending the conference were representatives of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, Department of Home Affairs, and Provincial Social Insurance.

'Hot' conference on health insurance examination and treatment issues. Photo: Thanh Son

In the first 6 months of 2017, medical examination and treatment in Nghe An achieved many good results. Medical units in the province examined over 2.7 million people, treated over 287 inpatients, and performed over 45 thousand surgeries of all kinds.

Compared to the same period in 2016, the number of medical examinations and treatments in 2017 increased slightly (2.7 million medical examinations, 274 thousand inpatients, and over 42 thousand surgeries).

Retrograde lithotripsy at Vinh City General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

In addition to the achievements, the medical examination and treatment work in recent times still has many limitations and difficulties: The connection has overloaded some provincial hospitals; the quality of medical examination and treatment, and the development of new techniques in some medical examination and treatment facilities are still limited; the transfer of techniques from upper levels to lower levels has not been implemented much; the inconsistent guidance documents between the Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Security have caused difficulties for medical examination and treatment facilities in the work of health insurance settlement.

A “hot” issue raised at the conference was the issue of practicing certificates. Specifically: According to regulations, doctors and physicians without practicing certificates cannot examine and treat, and if they do, they will not be paid for health insurance.

Doctors at Yen Tinh commune health station, Tuong Duong district, check the health of people. Photo: Thanh Son

Representatives of Dien Van Commune Health Station, Nghia Dan Health Center, Quy Chau said: The provisions of the new Law are only suitable for central and provincial hospitals, where there is no shortage of doctors. At the commune and district levels, not all health stations and health centers have many doctors and general practitioners with practice certificates. It will be very inconvenient when there are a large number of patients coming for examination (exceeding 45 visits/day will not be paid) or when doctors and nurses at the health station are absent.

Responding to this issue, the leader of Nghe An Department of Health said: The industry has proposed that the Ministry of Health make amendments to suit the reality as well as have a roadmap for medical units to implement. On the contrary, medical units need to be proactive in training doctors and nurses, ensuring regulations and quality of medical examination and treatment.

Customer care - patients at Tay Nam General Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

In the last 6 months of 2017, Nghe An health sector continues to promote the improvement of the quality of medical examination and treatment by overcoming the above-mentioned shortcomings. In addition, the sector will focus on improving the service attitude of medical staff in medical examination and treatment facilities; comply with professional regulations, discipline and discipline in medical examination and treatment facilities; strengthen management, direction, inspection, supervision, regular and unscheduled inspection to correct errors in medical examination and treatment; resolutely handle cases of violations of medical ethics and lack of responsibility that lead to dangerous situations for patients./.

Thanh Son