Decision No. 130/2002/QD-TTg dated October 04, 2002 of the Prime Minister approving the national policy on medical equipment in the 2002-2010 period

DECISION

APPROVING THE NATIONAL POLICY ON MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IN THE 2002-2010 PERIOD

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Protection of the People’s Health of June 30, 1989;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 35/2001/QD-TTg of March 19, 2001 approving the strategy for protection and care of the people’s health in the 2001-2010 period;

At the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECIDES:

Article 1.-To approve the national policy on medical equipment in the 2002-2010 period, including the following principal contents:

1. General objectives:

To adequately supply medical equipment to various levels as prescribed by the Ministry of Health. To step by step modernize equipment for medical establishments so as to raise the quality of protection and care of the people’s health. To strive to reach the level of the region’s advanced countries by 2010 in terms of technical standards of the medical equipment. To train the contingent of specialized technicians in order to exploit the use of, maintain, repair and expertise medical equipment. To develop the medical equipment industry with a view to gradually raising the proportion of home-made goods and proceeding to export them.

2. Specific objectives:

a/ To strive for the adequate supply and efficient exploitation of common medical equipment for disease-prevention and -treatment establishments by 2005 as prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

b/ To continue equipping and promoting the efficiency of three specialized health centers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue.

To draw up 2002-2010 plans for step by step construction of specialized health centers in various regions according to socio-economic areas, especially in remote and deep-lying areas as well as regions inhabited by ethnic minority people.

c/ To expand the manufacture of common medical equipment, ensuring the adequate supply to satisfy 40% of the service’s demand by 2005, and 60% by 2010. To step up the manufacture of hi-tech medical equipment as well as advanced technological chains for the manufacture of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

3. Implementation plan:

a/ Stage 1: From 2002 to 2005

Targets to be attained:

- To ensure the essential medical equipment for the medical establishments from grassroots to the central level according to the Health Ministry’s standards.

- Home-made products shall make up around 40% of the total common medical equipment.

- To ensure the precision and safety of medical equipment.

b/ Stage 2: From 2006 to 2010

Targets to be attained:

- Medical examination and treatment establishments of various levels shall be quantitatively and qualitatively equipped with adequate medical equipment according to the Health Ministry’s list of standards.

- The central hospitals and provincial general hospitals shall be adequately equipped with technical facilities for diagnosis and therapy, thus meeting requirements of providing medical examination and treatment for people according to the assigned technical lines, reaching the level of average advanced countries in the region in terms of technical standards of medical equipment.

- To continue building, perfecting and promoting the efficiency of specialized health centers.

- To step up the production of advantageous domestic goods, to raise their quality and proceed to export them, ensuring the adequate supply to satisfy 60% of the demand for common medical tools and equipment.

- To build the medical equipment industry with focal points and key contents, aiming to:

+ Meet the domestic use demand;

+ Raise the quality of products for export.

- To consolidate the medical equipment business system to be compatible with Vietnam’s law, and at the same time to step by step approach the regulations of the ASEAN and the world, thus efficiently meeting the health service’s operation requirements.

- To consolidate and improve the system of training human resources specialized in medical equipment techniques in order to efficiently exploit and use medical equipment, well maintain and repair the furnished medical equipment.

- To perfect the organizational system, raise the capability and efficiency in the activities of State management over medical equipment, create an appropriate environment in order to avail ourselves of international cooperation and joint venture in the field of medical equipment.

4. Solutions:

a/ Enhancing the State management over medical equipment:

- To perfect the medical equipment management system from the central to local levels. Medical establishments and district health centers shall be staffed with professional officials to monitor the work of medical equipment and supplies. Hospitals, central clinics and provincial general hospitals shall have their medical equipment and technical supplies sections.

- To exercise the uniform State management over the trading, import and export of medical equipment from the central to local levels.

- To step up the inspection and examination of quality, the supervision of efficiency of exploitation and use of medical equipment at medical equipment-using establishments and business system according to the State regulations. To conduct regular expertise of medical equipment being used at medical establishments as well as of home-made and import products.

- To promulgate incentive and preferential policies towards scientists as well as scientific and technological establishments involved in medical equipment research, manufacture and use exploitation, as well as provision of medical equipment technical services; to encourage domestic medical equipment-manufacturing and trading establishments. To build the capital recovery mechanism for operation maintenance and re-investment of medical equipment. To promulgate the regulations on the annual funding for the expertise, maintenance and repair of medical equipment.

b/ Development of human resources specialized in medical equipment:

- To enhance the training of university-degree and post-graduate officials specialized in medical equipment.

- To include the basic contents on management, technique-technology, and skills on the use of medical equipment in the program on training of medical and pharmaceutical officials of university or intermediate level.

- To raise the quality and expand the scale of training of the contingent of medical equipment technicians.

c/ Investment in development of the medical equipment manufacturing industry and service:

- To make prioritized investment in medical equipment manufacture in order to attain the efficiency, economy and rationality between specialized and universal health.

- To concentrate efforts on manufacture of common medical equipment in service of local health, population-family planning program, primary healthcare, single-use tools and equipment in service of school and family health.

- To enhance the medical equipment technical service.

d/ Consolidation of medical equipment trading and import/export system according to the State regulations.

e/ Enhancing medical equipment scientific research, technological application and transfer as well as international cooperation:

- To study new medical equipment as well as therapy and diagnosis methods in the world for selective application in Vietnam.

- To expand the cooperation with the world’s prestigious medical equipment-manufacturing groups in manufacture joint venture and technological transfer.

4. Implementation funding:

Funding for implementation of the policy shall come from the following sources:

- The State budget;

- Support from domestic and foreign organizations;

- Loan capital from ODA sources as well as domestic and foreign development assistance funds;

- Other sources (if any).

Article 2.-Basing itself on the Government’s socio-economic development orientations in each year and each period, the Ministry of Health shall draw up plan, assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the concerned ministries, branches and localities in organizing the implementation of the objectives of the national policy on medical equipment.

Article 3.-This Decision takes effect 15 days after its signing for promulgation.-

Article 4.-The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government, and the presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.