Acting Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan talks about the hospital's request to stop implementing autonomy

Continuing the program of the September legal session, on September 21, the National Assembly Standing Committee gave opinions on the draft Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (amended). This is the draft law that was submitted to the National Assembly for comments at the 3rd Session.

Regarding the issue of socialization and attracting social resources in State medical examination and treatment activities, presenting a report on reception and explanation, Chairwoman of the Social Committee Nguyen Thuy Anh said that, accepting the opinions of National Assembly deputies, the Government plans to make adjustments in the direction of regulating the State to diversify types of medical examination and treatment services.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Social Committee Nguyen Thuy Anh.

In addition, encourage, mobilize and create conditions for organizations and individuals to establish social enterprises, participate in investing in the construction of medical examination and treatment facilities; encourage the implementation of humanitarian medical examination and treatment, not for profit purposes; stipulate principles in attracting private investment and prescribe forms of attracting social resources (option 1).

The Standing Committee of the Social Committee finds that the above regulations are still unreasonable and need to be regulated in the following direction: Classifying activities and conditions for implementing socialization or investment in the form of public-private partnership; More specifically, methods and principles for mobilizing social resources as well as forms of placing or borrowing medical equipment, the profit ratio between investors and hospitals and the responsibility of state management agencies as in Option 2, Article 105.

Emphasizing that the early promulgation of this law is an urgent requirement, an expectation every day and every hour of the health sector as well as the people, creating a new legal framework to enhance the work of taking care of people's health better, fairly, equally, as well as the health sector operating more conveniently, demonstrating its role and being recognized, protected and facilitated by society, however, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh said that there are still major contents in the draft that have not received consensus from agencies, there are new proposals that have not been assessed for impact and some issues have not ensured consistency and connectivity in the legal system.

“The current law is basically good, the health sector has made great contributions, many sacrifices and disadvantages, especially during the recent pandemic, which cannot be measured. Therefore, it is good that the law is promulgated early, but that does not mean that it can overcome some current shortcomings and "give birth" to new ones, which may be more difficult” - Mr. Nguyen Khac Dinh noted and suggested that the drafting agency and the reviewing agency mobilize experts to review and work urgently to ensure quality before submitting to the National Assembly for consideration.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Dinh also said that although the preparation for amending the law has taken a long time, the perspective is still old. The issue of health finance, innovation of public service units, socialization... has not fully reflected the spirit of the Central Resolution.

Also mentioning this content, Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Education Nguyen Dac Vinh said that public hospitals are allowed to provide paid services, which is also socialization. Locally, autonomy has been initially successful in providing services and medical examination and treatment, but recently, many factors have appeared, so there is a tendency to return autonomy.

Reporting further at the meeting, Acting Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that if the content of socialization and health financing is included in the law, it is expected to resolve practical problems that the health sector is facing.

For example, regarding hospital autonomy, Ms. Dao Hong Lan affirmed that this is a correct policy and has been implemented in the past, contributing to improving the sense of responsibility and capacity for medical examination and treatment, as well as improving the capacity for innovation of hospitals.

Acting Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.

“Why have there been opinions from units implementing autonomy under Resolution 33 of the Government recently? Because Resolution 33 of the Government only allows a 2-year pilot period and will be changed when the laws on autonomy are regulated. At this time, we already have Decree 60 regulating the issue of autonomy, so the issue of requesting to stop and switch to implementing according to the law and being permitted by the Government is completely in accordance with the provisions of the law,” Ms. Lan emphasized.

According to the acting Minister of Health, socialization in healthcare is also very necessary because the State's resources for healthcare have not met the people's needs. And despite autonomy and socialization, the State's role in investing in healthcare remains central./.