Instructions from the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management
In response to the proposal of the Department of Health of Yen Bai province (now under Lao Cai) and the Department of Health of Lai Chau, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) issued Official Letter No. 1000/KCB-NV, clarifying the process of issuing new and adjusting operating licenses. This document was also sent to the Departments of Health of provinces, cities, hospitals under the Ministry and health ministries and branches for agreed implementation.
According to the provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023, the operating license includes information about the name of the facility, organization form, address, scope of expertise and working time. This license is not valid, but in some cases the facility must carry out new or adjustment procedures, such as changing the location, form of organization, merging, separating, or changing the scope of expertise, scale, and name.
Cases where a license needs to be adjusted
If the facility only changes its name and address but does not change the location of operation, or changes working hours: carry out the adjustment procedures according to Articles 64, 65 of Decree 96/2023/ND-CP.
If the facility changes the scale, scope of professional activities or technical categories: carry out procedures according to Articles 64, 66 of Decree 96/2023/ND-CP.
Thus, after merging provinces or reorganizing local governments at 2 levels, medical facilities only need to make license adjustments when there are changes in cases prescribed by law, instead of having to reissue all.
Ensuring health insurance examination and treatment in the transition period
Resolution No. 190/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly clearly states: it is not mandatory for organizations and individuals to change valid documents after the reorganization of the state apparatus, unless otherwise provided by specialized laws. This means that the operating license of a medical examination and treatment facility is still valid and does not need to be renewed if it is not mandatory.
To avoid interruptions in health insurance (HI) payments, Decree 188/2025/ND-CP stipulates:
Medical facilities continue to use the health insurance service price approved before the arrangement, merger or renaming.
If it is necessary to carry out procedures for granting new, re-granting or adjusting the license, the facility can still use the old license to maintain operations and the health insurance contract until the completion of the procedures, but up to the end of December 31, 2025.
According to the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, these regulations aim to ensure the continuity of medical examination and treatment services, not allowing people's rights to be interrupted when converting the government model and merging provinces. At the same time, medical facilities are responsible for maintaining service quality, complying with legal regulations, and ensuring smooth health care for people.
