On July 16, the HCMC Department of Health announced that the government had issued Decree No.84/2024/ND-CP on piloting the decentralization of State management in certain fields to the HCMC authorities.
Accordingly, in the healthcare sector, the city is authorized to decide on the import licensing of medicines needed for special treatments arising during medical examinations and treatment for certain groups of drugs as stipulated for medical facilities under the City's management.
According to Associate Professor - Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCMC Department of Health, although health centers in the area have seriously implemented drug procurement bidding for medical stations in recent years, the results of drug supply bidding for most district health centers and those in Thu Duc City have been limited. The list of drugs does not fully meet the medical examination and treatment needs at medical stations and does not align with the actual expectations of both patients and doctors. The procurement of drugs for primary healthcare facilities still faces several challenges, including the prolonged process of selecting drug suppliers and a high percentage of items for which no suppliers are chosen.
The main reason is that many suppliers do not participate in the bidding process because the quantity of drugs purchased by each health center is small compared to the volume supplied to higher-level treatment units. Additionally, the personnel at health centers responsible for bidding lack both in number and professionalism. To address this issue, the Department of Health has identified "ensuring the supply of drugs for primary healthcare facilities" as one of the key tasks of the city's healthcare sector.
"Since the Bidding Law took effect on January 1, 2024, the HCMC Department of Health has developed a plan for centralized drug procurement for primary healthcare facilities to enhance the capacity to supply drugs for treatment needs, especially for medical stations in the area. This policy has received the consensus of the People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City and has been implemented for health centers uniformly," stated Associate Professor - Dr. Tang Chi Thuong.
Currently, the Department of Health has compiled drug lists from various health centers for the generic drug package, consisting of over 400 types of drugs, and the herbal medicine package, which includes drugs combining active ingredients with herbal and traditional medicines, totaling nearly 60 types of drugs. The Department has entrusted Hung Vuong Hospital and the Traditional Medicine Hospital—recognized for their capacity and experience—to manage the bidding process for these packages and mobilize healthcare professionals to support the selection of contractors.
The hospitals are diligently proceeding, and it is anticipated that by September 2024, the city will finalize contractor selections to commence drug supply to health centers and medical stations.
In addition to efforts to supply drugs to primary healthcare facilities, the Department of Health is also focusing on ensuring drug supply for the entire healthcare system across the city. To monitor and facilitate drug supply, the Department has established a task force for procurement and distribution coordination. Weekly, this task force gathers information on drug supply from healthcare facilities to provide timely support.
Regarding rare drugs, the Department maintains regular communication with the Ministry of Health to implement supportive measures for hospitals. Moreover, the Department has reported to the Drug Administration Department under the ministry and promptly imported several rare drugs into Vietnam, including globulin, diphtheria antitoxin serum, and methotrexate, to meet treatment demands. Some drugs have already completed licensing procedures and will soon be imported into Vietnam.
“To build a resilient grassroots healthcare system and an extensive network accessible to all residents, HCMC is committed to strengthening its primary healthcare facilities operations. This involves enhancing human resources, infrastructure, and technological capabilities to effectively meet the community's healthcare needs. In addition to bolstering the quantity and structure of healthcare personnel to ensure efficient delivery of primary healthcare services, improving drug supply is considered a critical initiative to encourage more people to utilize local health stations for medical consultations and treatments,” stated Associate Professor - Dr. Tang Chi Thuong.
