Just passing the Tet holiday, Ms. Huong Thanh (Dong Nai province) took her child for a medical examination at Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City. According to her sharing, her child has congenital heart disease, which is a chronic disease, so she often has to go to the hospital for regular re-examinations.
For babies like my child, doctors usually give babies medicine about once a month for re-examination, if there are abnormal signs such as shortness of breath, blurred vision, or sweating... then they need to return to the hospital immediately for treatment. This Tet, the family plans to celebrate Tet in the countryside, returning from the 25th of Tet, so we are also asking the doctor to prescribe medicine appropriately so that the baby can return to the countryside and still ensure treatment," Ms. Thanh shared.
For elderly patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure..., long-term prescriptions not only help patients reduce back and forth but also reduce hospital overload.
Mr. Phung Trung Thach (65 years old, Hanh Thong ward, Ho Chi Minh City) originally had a history of hypertension. Each time he went for examination, the doctor prescribed medicine for about 30 days, when the Ministry of Health allowed prescription for a maximum of 90 days, Mr. Thach proposed to the doctor but was not answered. "The doctor said I am old and have many other underlying diseases, so I need to return for re-examination," Mr. Thach said.
Many people believe that although the Ministry of Health has issued Circular 26 on prescribing medicine for a maximum of 90 days for patients, many people are still not prescribed for long days, which makes patients have to walk many times.
Explaining this issue, BS.CKII Truong Thi Ngoc Phu, Deputy Head of the General Planning Department, Children's Hospital 2, said that the regulation allowing prescription of drugs for a maximum of 90 days according to Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT brings many clear benefits to patients, especially the group of patients with stable chronic diseases. In these cases, having to return to the hospital after 30 days not only causes costs and time but also creates unnecessary pressure for both patients and medical facilities.
From a professional management perspective, this is a very beneficial policy for patients. Chronic diseases that have stabilized do not necessarily require re-examination too often, especially for people who are far away or have difficulty traveling," Dr. Phu assessed.
However, according to her, the application of prescriptions for a maximum of 90 days is not a default for everyone. Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT is accompanied by an appendix clearly stipulating the List of diseases and groups of diseases subject to outpatient prescriptions for over 30 days. The biggest risk does not lie in patient rights, but in the risk of errors if doctors prescribe drugs not within the permitted scope, leading to the possibility of being reimbursed for health insurance.
Standing on the side of patients, this policy is very good. But doctors must be very careful, prescribe the right disease, the right medicine, and the right time according to regulations," Dr. Phu emphasized.
At Children's Hospital 2, immediately after Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT took effect, the hospital proactively organized training to deploy for the medical team, especially in chronic disease treatment specialties such as kidney-endocrine, cardiovascular, neurological, and hematology. The hospital emphasized that doctors directly examining and treating patients must strictly comply with diagnostic and treatment guidelines and carefully review the list of pathologies and drugs allowed for long-term prescription based on the appendix of Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT.
Dr. Phu said that although the new policy creates many advantages, prescriptions must still be individualized. Doctors will decide the number of days of use for each drug in the prescription based on the clinical condition, the patient's stability, and order early re-examination to ensure patient safety.
The final decision-making power is still based on clinical assessment at the time of examination. The policy opens up favorable conditions, but safety for patients is still a top priority," Dr. Phu affirmed.
