There will be a national exam to grant medical and pharmaceutical practice certificates.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Loi, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Training of the Ministry of Health, said that the Ministry of Health is proposing to the Government and the National Assembly to amend the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

Accordingly, it is necessary to have a national exam to issue a certificate to practice medical examination and treatment.

According to current law, after graduating from a six-year training program, a person with a medical degree must practice for 18 months in a hospital before being eligible to apply for a practice certificate. A practice certificate is issued once, but it must ensure that medical staff are obliged to participate in continuous training for at least 48 hours in two consecutive years to meet the professional and technical requirements of their current position. Otherwise, the person with the certificate will not be allowed to continue practicing.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Loi, Vietnam is now joining the ASEAN economic community, following the trend of international integration, Vietnam needs to have activities and contents in accordance with international practices. The Law on Medical Examination and Treatment has regulations on granting practice certificates. In order for the framework agreement in ASEAN to be feasible, the Ministry of Health has developed basic competency standards, which are the basis for training institutions to determine their output standards.

“We are reviewing to propose amendments and supplements to this regulation in the coming time as international practice has done, in the direction of requiring a national exam to issue a practice certificate and the certificate is valid for a certain period of time (usually five years),” said Mr. Loi.

Mr. Loi also added that the national practice certificate exam is expected to be held by region. The Ministry of Health will preside over the national practice certificate exam.

It is known that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs have also issued Joint Circular No. 26/2015 promulgating standards for medical officer titles for nurses, midwives, and technicians. According to this circular, from January 1, 2021, to become a nurse, midwife, or technician, applicants must have at least a college degree.

According to PLO