To keep administrative procedures from being "harsh and cruel"

(Baonghean)- At the meeting on February 23 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, when discussing the time limit for granting pharmacy practice certificates according to the draft revised Pharmacy Law, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said: "Administrative procedures for people now are very cruel and evil!"The statement was published by many press agencies and attracted much public attention. Especially when the policy of administrative reform to make the civil service truly serve the people has been strongly directed by the Government for many years now.

Public administrative procedures - illustration

The story started with the provisions in the draft Law on Pharmacy submitted to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. Accordingly, the issuance of a Pharmacy Practice Certificate is carried out once every 5 years or permanently but with periodic updates of professional knowledge. The Standing Committee of the appraisal agency believes that the issuance of a Pharmacy Practice Certificate every 5 years is consistent with international practice and helps manage the quality of practice and update professional knowledge, but it creates administrative procedures, which is not consistent with the current trend of administrative reform.

Therefore, when giving his opinion on this issue, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung asked the question: "Why not issue it once but reissue it every 5 years?". He himself answered this question by stating that many administrative procedures only cause trouble, inconvenience, and harassment to the people and businesses, as he has stated many times before the National Assembly. Therefore, he did not hesitate to say: "Administrative procedures are now very cruel and evil to the people!"

“Cumbersome administrative procedures”, “non-transparent” are “fertile ground for bureaucracy and corruption”, causing “trouble for the people”, “hindering the integration and development of the country”… are phrases that have become familiar, mentioned many times in many reports assessing and analyzing the existing limitations of the administrative system and public administrative procedures in recent times. But having to use the words “cruel, very cruel” is probably the first time people have heard! That shows the frustration not only in the business community or the people - the subjects who have to bear the existing limitations of cumbersome, non-transparent administrative procedures, but has also become a concern for legislators - those responsible for building and supervising the law enforcement process, maintaining social order and discipline.

Administrative procedures must be strict, but strict without making it difficult for people, so that these procedures can properly perform their role of regulating social behavior, and not be something that some people take advantage of to harass, stifle, and extort. Even in the case of pharmaceutical practice licenses, the real effectiveness of state management in this field does not lie in the time limit of several years for each license, but in the management and inspection of real practitioners. Because in reality, the situation of renting pharmaceutical practice licenses is still rampant and the authorities cannot control it.

To be fair, the Government has requested ministries, branches and local authorities to implement the efforts to reform administrative procedures towards transparency, smoothness and serving the people for many years. Many Resolutions and Decisions of the Government and the Prime Minister have been issued, "The year of administrative procedure reform" is not just a slogan but has truly become an order, a commitment with very specific targets to "cut at least 25% of administrative procedures".

To achieve the goal of achieving over 80% satisfaction of people and businesses with administrative procedures by 2020, allowing people to do anything that is not prohibited by law; so that the phrases “cumbersome, non-transparent, causing difficulties for businesses” or “harsh and cruel to people” are no longer repeated in reports on public administrative procedures, not only political commitments are needed but also the decisive and responsible involvement of authorities; strong supervision by the community and the concerns of not only legislators!

Van Thieng