Increasing the time for prescribing drugs helps reduce hospital burden and is convenient for patients

After taking a period of prescribed hypertension medication at the hospital, Ms. N.T.T (65 years old, Go Vap District) returned to Go Vap District Hospital for follow-up examination.High blood pressure is a chronic disease, regular check-ups and taking medication as prescribed by a doctor are very necessary to effectively control health conditions.

Previously, Ms. T., like many other patients, was only prescribed a maximum of 30 days of chronic disease treatment.However, with the new Draft Circular of the Ministry of Health allowing an extension of the time for outpatient prescriptions to a maximum of 90 days, Ms. T.expressed her joy.

I strongly agree with this policy.Due to old age, difficulty traveling, and busy children, it is reasonable to extend the time for outpatient prescriptions like this for people with chronic diseases like me, Ms. T.shared.

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Tran Phu Manh Sieu - Director of Go Vap District Hospital (HCMC) said that the policy of extending the review time for some groups of patients is being flexibly applied at the facility, bringing many practical benefits.

"Loacting the time for re-examination is a positive thing, especially for the elderly or in remote areas, reducing frequent travel.At the same time, the hospital also reduces the pressure of outpatient medical examination and treatment, especially for cases of chronic diseases that have been treated stably such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, etc. These people often only need to have regular check-ups to get a prescription for medicine, Dr. Sieu shared.

However, he also emphasized that it cannot be applied rigidly to all cases.In cases that need close monitoring, such as cardiovascular patients, early-stage diabetes or drug dosage adjustment, it is still necessary to re-examine according to the prescription to conduct tests, assess treatment response and adjust the regimen promptly.

Not all patients are given extended appointments.The patient must be clinically assessed by the doctor as stable and have no complications, before the follow-up appointment or prescription can be delayed for longer, said Dr. Sieu.

According to statistics from Go Vap District Hospital, there are about 2,000 outpatients coming for examination every day.Among them, the rate of people with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, etc. is very high.Allowing patients to have more stable follow-up examinations at longer distances not only helps reduce crowding and congestion at the examination area, but also helps medical staff have more time for more complicated cases.

If the number of patients coming only to get medicine periodically is reduced, doctors will have more time to care for diseases that need close monitoring, for example, patients with unstable cholesterol, needing re-examination and drug adjustment.In such a case, it can take more time to process, so reducing the burden is necessary to improve the quality of treatment, Dr. Sieu further analyzed.

However, Dr. Sieu also noted that the current policy of extending the review only applies to outpatient treatment, where the condition can be controlled and clearly classified.For inpatients, treatment and prescription must still depend entirely on the clinical progress, physical condition and professional decisions of the treating physician.

This is a policy that brings double benefits - both helping patients reduce stress and helping hospitals allocate resources more effectively, said Dr. Sieu.