To make non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice increasingly healthy

Ms. Tran Thi Cam Tu - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee:Strengthening management of cosmetic service establishments

As of September 2023, there are 120 beauty service establishments in Vinh city. The management of beauty service establishments currently has many shortcomings and difficulties. Beauty service establishments are not required to have an operating license. During operation, beauty service establishments not only provide spraying, tattooing, and embroidery services as announced, but also use equipment, machinery, and perform other services such as injecting substances such as filler, botox, etc. To check and handle this issue, professional qualifications are required.

The inspection and assessment of vocational certificates or training certificates on skin spraying, tattooing, and embroidery without using injectable anesthetics of owners and employees at beauty service establishments is difficult because it is not possible to determine the legality of the training facility or vocational training facility that issues the certificates... Some beauty service establishments have weak capacity but advertise beyond their capacity, perform services that do not ensure quality, leading to complaints, disputes, causing social insecurity and disorder and potentially affecting the health of customers.

In the coming time, Vinh city will strengthen monitoring activities; proactively coordinate with relevant departments and branches to organize regular and surprise inspections of establishments, resolutely and strictly handle establishments that violate regulations; promptly provide official and objective information to people about the quality and legality of establishments; encourage people to detect and denounce acts with signs of violations; enhance the role and responsibility of ward and commune authorities in monitoring and implementing the role of administrative management over establishments.

To better implement management work, the Department of Health is requested to recommend the Ministry of Health to consider and study specific regulations for the type of cosmetic service business that must be licensed to operate, such as: home health care service facilities; emergency service facilities... for effective management and supervision. The Public Security and Market Management sectors direct and strengthen surprise inspections to detect and strictly and thoroughly handle violations of smuggled goods, goods of unknown origin, especially beauty care and health care products.

Mr. Pham Xuan Sanh - Vice Chairman of Dien Chau District People's Committee: Strengthen inspection; enhance responsibility of wards, communes and towns

The management of non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice is currently facing many difficulties, shortcomings and limitations. Specifically: Sanctions are not strong enough, not deterrent enough; the specialized inspection force is still thin; coordination between health management agencies and local authorities is not tight. Inter-sectoral inspection activities are not regular, continuous, not highly effective, still loose, not thorough, not bold in handling violating establishments, still considerate... so it is difficult to control all establishments. Management, inspection, supervision and handling of violations by communes are not effective, still formalistic, not thorough.

To strengthen the management of non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice, districts, cities and towns in general need to continue to direct the People's Committees of communes and towns, relevant departments, branches and units to thoroughly handle and closely monitor unlicensed practice establishments to resume operations, licensed establishments to operate in accordance with the registered list; continue to proactively coordinate with the Department of Health and relevant departments and branches to strengthen inspection and supervision, resolutely and strictly handle unlicensed practice establishments; coordinate with the police to review, conduct reconnaissance work and promptly catch violations.

Assign the People's Committees of communes and towns to strengthen inspection, review, sign commitments, and monitor the activities of medical establishments in the area; publicly announce on mass media about non-public medical and pharmaceutical establishments that violate medical laws, the nature, level of violations, and forms of punishment so that people know in order to increase deterrence and prevent re-offending; regularly exchange information between the Department of Health and the People's Committees of communes to promptly grasp, coordinate to prevent, handle violations, and remove difficulties and obstacles of establishments.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuc - Vice Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee: Need to have policies for traditional medicine practitioners

To effectively manage the state's non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice, authorities at all levels need to take drastic action, considering it a political, regular and continuous task. Directive 03 must be thoroughly disseminated to all cadres and practitioners. Focus on widespread communication on mass media systems so that all people clearly understand the risks of medical examination and treatment at unlicensed medical facilities. Regularly strengthen inspection and supervision to prevent unlicensed medical and pharmaceutical practices from operating in the area; strictly handle violations. Publicize inspection results on mass media... Include the management of medical and pharmaceutical practice in the annual emulation classification criteria for the People's Committees at the commune and town levels.

In reality, the management activities of all levels and sectors towards non-public medical and pharmaceutical establishments still reveal many shortcomings and problems. Specifically: There is a shortage of staff in charge of non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice management, mainly holding concurrent positions. Some localities have not really paid attention to the management of non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice. Some traditional healers are traditional healers and midwives who have traditional herbal remedies to treat common diseases and are not qualified to be granted practice certificates, making management difficult.

To overcome the above shortcomings, in the coming time, it is necessary to continue to strictly implement Directive 03 of the Provincial People's Committee; strengthen the direction of authorities at all levels on non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice; include the management of non-public medical and pharmaceutical practice in the annual local classification... The Ministry of Health and the Department of Health need to have policies for traditional medicine practitioners to test and recognize traditional medicine practitioners, to issue practice certificates, creating conditions for oriental medicine to develop according to the State's policy, combining oriental and western medicine in health care for the people.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Phong - Deputy Director of Nghe An Market Management Department: Strengthen coordination, avoid overlap and omission

Since implementing Directive 03 from 2018 to present, Nghe An Market Management Department has inspected 646 cases; handled 505 violations with administrative fines of over 1 billion VND. The main violations are: No business registration certificate; no certificate of eligibility for pharmaceutical business; retailing drugs without a certificate of good practice; not opening a book to monitor drug purchase and sale activities as prescribed; professional managers are absent but do not authorize or appoint a replacement as prescribed by law; not posting drug prices...

In the process of implementing Directive 03, Nghe An Market Management Department found that there are still some difficulties, namely: Distinguishing counterfeit and poor quality goods is very difficult due to the increasingly sophisticated level of counterfeit production, which is difficult to detect, requiring appraisal or cooperation from production facilities or authorized units, or importers. The situation of smuggling, trading in counterfeit goods, and commercial fraud is increasingly complicated, especially in e-commerce, including many pharmaceuticals because the products are compact and easy to transport. The work of inspecting and handling violations in e-commerce activities is currently facing many difficulties due to the difficulty in determining the exact transaction address and storage warehouse. Equipment and means of professional service are still lacking, especially in inspecting and evaluating counterfeit and poor quality goods.

In the coming time, it is recommended that the Department of Health strengthen coordination with the market management force in organizing annual inspections and audits related to the functions and tasks of the market management force to avoid overlap, omission of subjects, and improve inspection efficiency./.