Hundreds of medical facilities undergo surprise quality inspection
The Ministry of Health said that it has established 4 inspection teams to assess hospital quality, survey patient and health care staff satisfaction, and monitor the implementation of legal regulations in medical examination and treatment as well as forensic and forensic psychiatric assessment.
Accordingly, the scope of inspection includes: Hospitals and hospitals with hospital beds under the Ministry of Health; public and private hospitals managed by localities; central and regional forensic psychiatric assessment and center; and other medical examination and treatment facilities.
The heads of the inspection teams are the Director and 3 Deputy Directors of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management; members are officials and specialists of the department.
Inspection and supervision activities will last from now until December 30, 2025. After completing the task, the groups will dissolve themselves.
The results of the hospital quality assessment in 2024 show that despite a long time of focusing on fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, many hospitals have maintained improvements in service quality, successfully implemented new techniques, and improved patient reception and service. Notably, many administrative procedures and testing waiting time have been shortened.
Dr. Duong Huy Luong - Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) - said that through the assessment of hospital quality in 2024, despite a long time of focusing on preventing and fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, many facilities still focus on improving, applying new techniques, improving service quality, shortening administrative procedures and being recognized by patients and society. Some hospitals have also won international awards for quality such as Cho Ray, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hung Vuong.
In response to hospitals' concerns about whether to continue applying the set of 83 hospital quality criteria, Dr. Luong affirmed: Quality improvement is a continuous process. Hospitals need to implement both the 83 Criteria and Circular 35 in parallel, while focusing on synchronous human resources, infrastructure to management and supervision.
Solutions to improve quality, increase patient satisfaction
The Ministry of Health has issued Decision 56/QD-BYT (January 8, 2024) stipulating the method of measuring satisfaction in the period of 2024-2030. Accordingly, 100% of public health facilities must survey, publicize the results and rely on people's feedback to improve quality.
In fact, in Hanoi, the results of the first quarter of 2025 showed that the average satisfaction rate of patients at public hospitals reached 95.99%, and medical staff reached 91.49%. Many hospitals such as Chuong My, Soc Son, Duc Giang, Dong Da have a satisfaction index of over 99%. However, the survey also shows limitations in infrastructure, especially degraded and unsanitary toilets.
Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Van Giap - Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital - said that Bach Mai Hospital is implementing a series of synchronous solutions to improve service quality and improve patient experience.
The extension of extra-of-advisory examination hours helps reduce overload, shorten waiting time, and patients with health insurance cards are still guaranteed benefits. The hospital also invests heavily in equipment, expected to put 48 more ultrasound machines into use in April 2025, serving diagnosis and treatment.
In the field of digital transformation, Bach Mai is the first special-class hospital to apply electronic medical records, along with applications such as Bach Mai Care, Bach Mai Office and dashboard system, helping to manage records, schedule examinations and coordinate work effectively. In particular, the hospital has applied artificial intelligence (AI) in imaging diagnosis, endoscopy, treatment of lung cancer... with an accuracy of up to 90%, supporting doctors to detect lesions early and personalize treatment regimens.
