People are frustrated with taking a series of papers for examination
In the context of the health sector requiring to promote digital transformation and implement Project 06, enhancing digital transformation in health management; deploying electronic medical records, electronic health books... the implementation of electronic prescriptions at medical facilities is taking place very slowly.
According to Lao Dong reporter at E Hospital, every patient has a set of medical examination documents in hand, including a prescription.
"There is only one paper prescription here, every month I go to see a doctor and receive one prescription. It takes a lot of time to wait in line to receive the medicine. We are old, sometimes we still have medicine mixed up, and we only find it after searching for it. If the electronic prescription is sent directly from the doctor to the pharmacy, if the patient is instructed to come and receive the prescription, it is good" - Mr. Dao Ngoc Minh (born in 1952, in Cau Giay - character name has been changed upon request - PV) reflected.
According to Mr. M, not only electronic prescriptions, but the implementation of medical examination and treatment using citizen identification cards is also very delayed. "My health insurance card (HI) is integrated on the citizen identification card, on the VneID app, if I go for a check-up, I still have to carry a paper card. In general, there has been no change" - Mr. M said depressedly.
Spending a lot of time observing at medical facilities, the reporter found that a large number of outpatients are elderly people with chronic diseases. Almost everyone takes a stack of documents including examination books, prescriptions, examination results, prescriptions, etc. to see a doctor.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (born in 1947, in Cau Giay) did not have any relatives to accompany her, so after the examination, Ms. Lan spent about 30 minutes waiting to line up her documents, looking for the prescription that was stuck with dozens of other documents from previous examinations. Then, Ms. Lan submitted an application at the counter, waiting for her turn...
Not only at Hospital E, this situation still occurs in most hospitals. If electronic medical records, electronic prescriptions... are implemented soon, the most "released" subjects will be patients, followed by medical staff.
The Ministry of Health has repeatedly postponed the mandatory deadline for prescribing electronic drugs
Since 2019, the Ministry of Health has built and piloted a national information system on prescription management and prescription drug sales, deployed in Ha Tinh and Hung Yen.
The system allows pharmacies to receive prescriptions from the network, sell prescription drugs correctly, control antibiotics and special drugs. Patients only need to provide a code, and can buy it at any pharmacy.
On July 12, 2022, the Minister of Health issued Circular 04/2022/TT-BYT amending Circular 27/2021/TT-BYT on regulations on electronic prescription of drugs, which stipulates the roadmap for implementing electronic prescription.
In this Circular, the Ministry of Health requires medical examination and treatment facilities to prescribe drugs electronically according to the provisions of Circular 27 according to the roadmap for hospitals with grade 3 or higher to be completed before December 31, 2022 (the old Circular stipulates the deadline of June 30, 2022).
For other medical examination and treatment facilities, it must be completed before June 30, 2023 (the old contract was December 1, 2022).
Thus, Circular 04 has postponed the deadline for completing the prescription of electronic drugs compared to the regulations in Circular 27.However, up to now, after nearly 3 years of Circular 04 in effect, the implementation of electronic prescriptions is still "stuck".
After the case of fake drug production and trading discovered in some localities, on April 28, the Government Office issued two official dispatches conveying the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long, requesting the Ministry of Health to continue to direct the promotion and improvement of the connection of drug supply facilities, electronic medical records, and electronic prescriptions according to the previous instructions of the Prime Minister.
At the same time, continue to direct the implementation of electronic prescriptions, electronic prescriptions on the "National Information System on Prescription Management and prescription drug sales" and strictly direct the implementation of prescription drug sales.
Most recently, on June 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health once again "fulfills" the deadline for hospitals to mandatory electronic prescriptions
In Circular No. 26/2025 regulating prescriptions for drugs and the prescription of pharmaceuticals and biological products for outpatient treatment at medical examination and treatment facilities, effective from July 1, the Ministry of Health requires medical examination and treatment facilities with the organization of hospitals to be implemented before October 1, 2025; the number of other medical examination and treatment facilities must be implemented before January 1, 2026.
If hospitals continue to "slowly" deploy electronic prescriptions as they are now, if the Ministry of Health does not have a specific solution, the deadline for medical facilities to require electronic prescriptions will likely be delayed a number of times.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, the country currently has about 1,800 public and private hospitals and about 70,000 private clinics. However, as of early April 2025, only more than 200 hospitals have switched from paper medical records to electronic medical records.
