The Government issued a Decree on the functions, tasks and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health is a Government agency, performing the function of state management in the following areas: Preventive medicine; medical examination, treatment, rehabilitation; medical examination, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry; mothers and children; population; prevention and control of social evils (except for drug addiction treatment and post-drug addiction treatment management); social protection; traditional medicine and pharmacy; pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; food safety; medical equipment; health insurance and state management of public services in the areas under the state management of the Ministry of Health.

This is one of the main contents of Decree No. 42/2025/ND-CP dated February 27, 2025, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health, which has just been issued by the Government, effective from March 1, 2025.

Duties and powers of the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health performs the tasks and powers prescribed in the Law on Organization of the Government, Government regulations on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, and performs the following specific tasks and powers:

Submit to the Government draft laws, draft resolutions of the National Assembly, draft ordinances, draft resolutions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, draft decrees and resolutions of the Government according to the approved annual law-making programs and plans of the Ministry of Health and programs, projects and proposals as assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister.

Submit to the Government and the Prime Minister for approval strategies, planning, long-term, medium-term, annual development plans and important national programs, projects, and works in areas under the state management of the Ministry of Health.

Submit to the Prime Minister draft decisions, directives and other documents on areas under the state management of the Ministry of Health or as assigned. Issue circulars, decisions, directives and other documents on state management of areas under the state management of the Ministry of Health.

Direct, guide, and organize the implementation of legal documents, strategies, planning, plans, national target programs, programs, projects, and important national works after approval; inspect, review, systematize, consolidate, and codify the system of legal documents, propagate, disseminate, educate on the law, and monitor the implementation of the law in areas under the state management of the Ministry of Health.

Develop, promulgate or submit to competent authorities for promulgation professional regulations, national standards, national technical regulations, economic-technical norms on: Monitoring, prevention and control of infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, occupational diseases, accidents and injuries; vaccination; biosafety in medical laboratories; border medical quarantine; environmental health and hygiene, occupational hygiene, health and hygiene of agencies and schools; community nutrition; prevention and control of harmful effects of tobacco; prevention and control of harmful effects of alcohol and beer; quality of clean water used for domestic purposes; management of chemicals, insecticides and disinfectants used in the household and medical sectors.

Develop, promulgate or submit to competent authorities for promulgation regulations on technical expertise, national standards, national technical regulations, economic-technical norms, quality criteria on: medical examination, treatment, out-of-hospital emergency, blood transfusion safety, nursing, rehabilitation, clinical pharmacy, clinical nutrition, infection control; cosmetic surgery; donation, removal, transplantation of human tissues and organs; medical examination, forensic examination, forensic psychiatric examination according to the provisions of law.

Organizational structure of the Ministry of Health:

The Decree clearly states that the organizational structure of the Ministry of Health consists of 20 units including:

1- Health Insurance Department

2- Department of Organization and Personnel

3- Department of Planning and Finance

4- Legal Department

5- Department of International Cooperation

6- Ministry office

7- Ministry Inspectorate

8- Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management

9- Department of Traditional Medicine Management

10- Department of Drug Administration

11- Food Safety Department

12- Department of Infrastructure and Medical Equipment

13- Department of Science, Technology and Training

14- Department of Population

15- Department of Disease Prevention

16- Department of Mothers and Children

17- Department of Social Protection;

18- Institute of Health Strategy and Policy;

19- National Health Information Center

20- Health and Life Newspaper

The organizations specified from 1 to 17 are organizations that assist the Minister in performing state management functions; the organizations specified from 18 to 20 are public service units serving the state management functions of the Ministry of Health.

The Minister of Health shall submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation a list of other public service units under the Ministry of Health according to regulations.

The Minister of Health issues a decision stipulating the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of organizations and units under the Ministry of Health./.