A doctor at work at a private clinic in Ho Chi Minh City

Medical licenses allowing doctors and other medical workers to practice will have the same effect whether they are issued by the Health Ministry or its provincial agencies, a senior ministry official said Monday.

Speaking with Thanh Nien on the draft law on health examination and treatment being discussed at the ongoing National Assembly (NA) session, Kinh said, however, that holders would have to register their license with the health department of another city or province if they wanted to work there, in order to facilitate management.

The draft law also proposes that the Health Ministry will issue licenses for private hospitals with 100 beds and over, while smaller ones will be licensed by provincial health departments. This license will have to be renewed every five years.

Kinh said the renewal requirement is necessary because concerned authorities would need to assess the facilities to make sure they comply with all requirements.

Earlier at the NA session Monday, many deputies had opposed a proposal of the draft law on the validity and effect of the license for doctors and other medical workers. According to the draft law, they would have to renew their license every five years, and licenses issued by the provincial health department will be valid only in that city or province, while those issued by the Health Ministry will enjoy nationwide validity.

Deputy Nguyen Minh Hong said “Certificates issued by local health departments or by the Health Ministry should be valid nationwide.”

The proposed regulation “will create discrimination, cause troubles and limit the doctors’ right to offering medical examination and treatment,” he said, noting that it would also impose unnecessary license-obtaining procedures on a doctor who wants to move from one province to another to work.

Regarding the expiry of the license, Deputy Huynh Nghia said relevant agencies should issue permanent certificates instead of only every five years.

“The certificates should be revoked if their owners violate regulations,” he added.

According to some NA deputies, extending the validity of existing certificates or granting new ones would not in reality help increase the quality of medical check-ups and treatment.

Some delegates worried about the cost of issuing licenses for all health workers in the public sector.

Several delegates proposed that medical ethics should be among the criteria in granting the licenses, saying it would contribute to increasing the quality of healthcare provided.

They also suggested that common criteria be established for granting medical licenses to doctors in both state and private health establishments.

Deputy Hong said: “I agree with the regulation that people conducting medical examinations and providing treatment in both state and private sectors should have medical-practice licenses, because it will facilitate state management.”

State vs. private

A majority of NA deputies on Monday agreed with a proposal that prohibits doctors and other medical workers in public sectors from owning private hospitals.

However, they should be allowed to work as employees at these facilities, delegates said while discussing a draft bill on medical examination and treatment at the ongoing NA session.

“We should ban state health workers from owning, managing and establishing private hospitals to avoid misconduct,” said deputy Tran Thi Hang.

However, allowing them to provide the services as an extra job (at private establishments) would help increase their income, she said.

According to the draft document, state cadres in the health sector would be prohibited from establishing, or participating in the establishment or management of private hospitals. However, they would be allowed to participate in treating patients at private hospitals as extra work or set up or run private clinics, which are much smaller establishments.

Delegate Nguyen Pham Y Nhi said the draft regulation will help deal with the shortage of human resources in the health sector, help doctors increase their income in a legitimate manner, and meet patients’ demand for medical check-ups and treatment of patients.

Delegate Hoang Thi Huong said it is necessary to permit doctors from public hospitals to do extra work in private health establishments as the country’s labor law does not ban workers from doing multiple jobs.

Some delegates also proposed adding more regulations on protecting patients’ rights, and changing the name of the draft law to make it more reflective of reality, like the Law on Conducting Health Examination and Treatment.

Reported by Bao Van - Xuan Toan