The Ministry of Health is seeking opinions on the draft Resolution on promulgating specific mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and obstacles so that Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, facility 2 in Ninh Binh, can soon be put into operation.
According to the draft Submission of the Ministry of Health, based on recommendations from Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, the review shows that if current regulations are applied in their entirety, facility 2 of the two hospitals will be difficult to operate effectively. Not only is it difficult to achieve professional quality equivalent to facility 1, these units also face many obstacles in paying health insurance (HI) medical examination and treatment costs, as well as ensuring human resources and operating funds.
From that reality, the Ministry of Health believes that it is necessary to soon issue specific mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and help establishments 2 operate stably. This is also an important solution to create motivation to work, attract and retain highly qualified doctors and medical staff, thereby ensuring the quality of health care for people.
A noteworthy proposal is to allow facility 2 of the two hospitals to sign health insurance medical examination and treatment contracts with Hanoi Social Insurance like facility 1, instead of having to work with many focal points in both Ninh Binh and Hanoi.
According to the Ministry of Health, having to coordinate with many agencies in the two localities will increase administrative procedures and workload, from making estimates, allocating costs, to inspection, examination and health insurance settlement. At the same time, procedures related to initial medical examination and treatment registration or referrals are also easily overlapping, causing difficulties for both hospitals and patients.
Therefore, if a contract is unified with one focal point, Hanoi Social Insurance, the process will be simplified, reducing duplication in management, saving time and manpower, and at the same time creating more convenience in paying health insurance medical examination and treatment costs.
In addition, the Ministry of Health also proposed to allow direct transfer of patients between facility 1 and facility 2 while still being considered as on the health insurance line. When transferring patients, specimens or techniques, the two facilities do not need to sign separate contracts.
Explaining this proposal, the Ministry of Health said that facility 2 is actually a directly affiliated unit of two hospitals, with a common financial mechanism, management and administration, and the same director. Therefore, the request to sign additional separate contracts is not only unnecessary but also gives rise to additional procedures for both the hospital and the insurance agency.
At a working session with the Ministry of Health on the situation of implementing the assigned tasks of the Ministry of Health and some proposals and recommendations in health work, protection and care for people's health recently, Politburo Member, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung requested ministries and sectors to mobilize maximum resources, thoroughly handle existing problems, and complete procedures to put the two hospitals into operation in the second quarter of 2026.
On April 10, in a group discussion on socio-economic development plans, state budget; the work of practicing thrift and combating wastefulness of the National Assembly, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan explained that the second facility of Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital has completed the rough construction but cannot operate due to prolonged problems in institutions, legality and procedures. The project has been backloging for nearly 10 years, arising violations from the contract signing stage, while previous legal regulations are still overlapping.
According to the minister, the handling must be based on the principle of recognizing shortcomings to remove them, and at the same time protect officials who dare to do it for the common good. Although the facilities have been completed, many procedures still need to be completed, especially the fire prevention and fighting requirements according to new regulations, causing the project to have to be adjusted and renovated.
The Minister emphasized that the biggest difficulty is not only the mechanism but also the implementation stage; if drastically removed, large projects will continue to be prolonged, causing serious consequences.
