Abolish the regulation of prescribing medicine for children, parents must declare their ID card

The new prescription has abolished the requirement that prescriptions must include the parent's ID number.

From October 15, the Ministry of Health will officially apply a new prescription form to replace previous prescriptions.

The new point of this prescription is that it officially abolishes the regulation: "When prescribing for children under 72 months of age (6 years old), the ID card number or citizen identification book of the father, mother or guardian must be written on the prescription." Instead, the prescription only needs to state the age, weight, and name of the father, mother or guardian bringing the child for medical examination and treatment.

This is one of the contents in Circular 18/2018 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular 52/2017/TT-BYT dated December 29, 2017 regulating the prescription of pharmaceutical and biological drugs in outpatient treatment.

Also according to this new regulation, the prescription will include the phone number of the medical examination and treatment facility, the department, or the doctor/physician prescribing the medication; the patient's age; the name of the child's father or mother or the person bringing the child to the medical examination and treatment (only for children under 72 months old): ask the person bringing the child to the medical examination and treatment; contact address: write the patient's address so that the medical examination and treatment facility can contact and exchange information when necessary; instructions from medical staff about nutrition and work and living regimen and appointment for follow-up examination (if necessary).

Previously, one of the controversial contents in the prescription form stipulated in Circular 52 of the Ministry of Health, effective from March 2018, on outpatient prescriptions, was that for children under 72 months old, the number of months of age, the name and ID card number or citizen ID card number of the child's parents or guardians must be recorded, followed by information such as health insurance card number, diagnosis, prescribed medications and instructions to the family.

The regulation that prescriptions must include ID numbers has caused much controversy.

Reacting to this content, many doctors and people said that these are troublesome regulations. Because if the Ministry of Health has regulated it but the doctor does not write it down, then the sample prescription is not followed correctly, leading to violations.

However, if parents do not bring or do not remember their ID card number when taking their children to the doctor, the doctor will not prescribe medicine, especially in an emergency. Especially now, children under 6 years old are given a health insurance card for free medical examination and treatment; just showing this card is enough to ensure all necessary procedures, there is no need to ask parents to show their ID card.

Then, a representative of the Ministry of Health spoke up to say that this regulation is related to many subjects, so during the implementation process, the Ministry of Health will continue to have assessments and surveys to promptly supplement and complete any shortcomings, if any.