Request for early handling of management violations at Cat Tuong Beauty Salon

Exterior image of Cat Tuong Beauty Salon. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

At the meeting on the afternoon of October 28 on the implementation of the plan to strengthen State management of private medical facilities to rectify the quality of operations of these facilities in Hanoi and nationwide, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, he requested the Hanoi People's Committee to soon issue a conclusion on the handling of groups and individuals violating State management in the case at Cat Tuong beauty salon for reporting.

According to the report of the Ministry of Health, the country currently has 157 private hospitals (151 domestically invested hospitals and 6 foreign invested hospitals), more than 30,000 private clinics and medical service facilities, of which, in Hanoi city there are 2,218 non-public medical examination and treatment facilities and 4,938 pharmaceutical business facilities.

Non-public medical examination and treatment facilities and pharmaceutical businesses are encouraged to develop, in accordance with the Party and State's policy of socialization; actively contributing to people's health care, reducing the burden on public medical examination and treatment facilities.

In the first nine months of 2013, the Ministry of Health established inspection teams for state management of private medical examination and treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Binh Phuoc...

Regarding cosmetic surgery facilities, the Ministry of Health inspectors have inspected two private hospitals specializing in cosmetic surgery in Ho Chi Minh City. Since the beginning of the year, the Hanoi Department of Health has inspected 27/34 facilities licensed to operate specialized cosmetic surgery...

The Ministry of Health assesses that the management of private medical examination and treatment facilities currently still has some difficulties such as the number of people granted practice certificates is still low, the issuance of practice licenses to private medical examination and treatment facilities is still slow; the inspection of medical examination and treatment facilities, including medical examination and treatment facilities with foreign elements, is not continuous and regular; some private medical examination and treatment facilities practice beyond the scope of permitted professional activities; legal documents regulating the issuance of practice certificates and practice licenses are still unclear and incomplete, causing difficulties for individuals practicing.

Regarding the case at Cat Tuong Beauty Salon, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that this beauty salon was granted a business registration certificate by the Finance and Business Department of the Hai Ba Trung District People's Committee on May 3, 2013, but it has not yet gone to the Department to complete the procedures for a license to operate medical examination and treatment.

Regarding remedial measures to prevent similar cases from recurring, the Ministry of Health has requested the Hanoi People's Committee and Department of Health to strictly handle violators. The Ministry of Health is also urgently adding regulations on the role of lower-level local authorities such as districts, wards, commune and ward health stations to the Circular on management of private medical examination and treatment facilities; at the same time, it is issuing regulations requiring doctors working in public medical facilities who work at clinics outside of working hours to report on their working hours and practice certificates issued by the Department of Health.

In addition, the Ministry of Health has established 5 inspection teams led by 5 Deputy Ministers to conduct large-scale inspections of cosmetic surgery, oriental medicine, GPP, and functional foods... in 63 provinces and cities (in which the Ministry of Health leaders will visit 10 provinces and cities with many "hot" cases; the remaining provinces and cities will conduct inspections in their own areas), and report the inspection results before December 31, 2013.

Also according to the Hanoi Department of Health, after receiving information about the incident at Cat Tuong Beauty Salon, the Department urgently went to the scene, collected more information; and sent a quick report to the City People's Committee, the Ministry of Health, and the City Party Committee's Propaganda Department.

The Department has also sent delegations to inspect operating medical facilities and private hospitals. Initial inspection results show that licensed facilities are relatively strict in terms of professional standards. However, there are still some shortcomings such as the posting of technical service lists and public service prices in many facilities that are not implemented well, such as the conditions of rooms and medicines; there are many shortcomings in recording medical records; some beauty salons have not clearly stated the origin of medicines, and the materials used do not have a list or label. In the coming time, the Hanoi Department of Health will continue to strengthen inspections and handle violating facilities.

Concluding the working session, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan requested the Ministry of Health to continue reviewing information and strictly managing private medical facilities, including adding solutions to avoid the situation where many facilities have registered for business but do not have a practice license; coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and Hanoi City to discuss solutions to manage and implement the provisions of the Advertising Law and decrees guiding the implementation of advertising about medical services on television, online, and in leaflets.

The Deputy Prime Minister also requested the Ministry of Health to review its responsibilities in managing private medical facilities; and promptly issue regulations for hospitals to strengthen the review and management of doctors working at private hospitals. This is a task that needs to be done regularly and continuously.

Regarding the Directive regulating the responsibilities of communes and wards responsible for managing medical and pharmaceutical establishments in the area (May 2013) of the Hanoi People's Committee, the Deputy Prime Minister said that this is a positive and effective action.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the City People's Committee needs to coordinate and support the Health Departments and the People's Committees of districts, wards and communes in inspecting and examining medical facilities. For medical facilities that do not meet the conditions for practice, the authorities need to inspect and clarify, and request that they immediately stop operating./.

According to VNA