Vietnam Health Ministry to Inspect State-owned Hospitals

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health plans to look into health check-ups and treatments offered at some public hospitals this year to ensure equal fees are charged at all facilities, local media reported. The ministry will also inspect tenders and purchases of medicines, medical equipment and materials at National Hospital of Odonto and Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City, National Institute of Ophthalmology in Hanoi and Vietnam-Sweden Uong Bi Hospital in northern province of Quang Ninh. In addition, the health and finance ministries will meet to discuss a draft circular on the framework of health check-up and treatment costs at public hospitals. The circular is scheduled to be issued in the first quarter of this year to avoid differences in check-up fees at different hospitals. The circular aims to ensure that facilities and equipment at hospitals are in sync with the fees patients pay and avoid situations where patients have to share beds even as unused beds are being offered for a fee. (vnexpress.net Feb 6, vov.vn Feb 6)