Social work is always there to support patients.

NDO - The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ) has just summarized 9 years of implementing Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health regulating the tasks and forms of organization for implementing social work tasks in hospitals.

On November 22nd, in Hanoi, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health ) organized a conference to summarize the 9 years of implementing Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BYT dated November 26, 2015, of the Ministry of Health, which regulates the tasks and organizational forms of implementing social work tasks in hospitals; and to provide feedback on the draft Circular amending Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BYT, for the northern region.

Attending the conference were Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan; representatives from departments and bureaus under the Ministry of Health; leaders of provincial and city health departments; and central and local hospitals in the northern region.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan stated that since its issuance on November 26, 2015, Circular No. 43 has laid the foundation for establishing and developing the social work sector in hospitals. This is a task with profound humanitarian significance, contributing to building a patient-centered healthcare system, supporting patients and their families in overcoming difficulties, and simultaneously improving the effectiveness of hospital operations.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan delivered a speech at the conference.

Immediately after the Circular was issued, all central hospitals and most provincial and city general hospitals established Social Work Departments or Social Work Teams, gradually professionalizing the staff working in this field. Many new models and effective approaches have been implemented; hundreds of thousands of patients in difficult circumstances have received support in various forms.

It can be affirmed that social work in hospitals has contributed to changing the perceptions of medical staff and the community, helping people better understand the important role of companionship and sharing in healthcare; it is a step forward in helping medical facilities further improve their services to patients, contributing to providing patients with better access to healthcare services.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan noted that, in addition to the achievements, the implementation of Circular 43 still has some limitations such as: the organizational model is not yet synchronized, many units have not yet established specialized departments for social work due to a lack of human resources and funding; the number and quality of social work staff are still limited, especially in terms of the lack of established standards and norms for human resources; staff have not received formal training or are mainly staff from other specialized fields performing the work as a side job; the application of information technology in managing and implementing social work activities still has many limitations in the context of digital transformation in all aspects of social life.

Sharing the results after nine years of implementing Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BYT, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ha Anh Duc, said that a survey of 640 hospitals, including 30 central-level hospitals, 259 provincial-level hospitals, and 351 district-level hospitals nationwide, showed that: Social work staff at these hospitals have provided guidance, information, and referrals to medical examination and treatment services for over 916 million people; assisted and advised over 2.6 million patients on their legal rights, benefits, and obligations in medical examination and treatment; and assisted and advised over 9.4 million patients on social programs and policies regarding health insurance and social assistance in medical examination and treatment.

Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ha Anh Duc, shared information at the conference.

In addition, this team organized nearly 150,000 sessions to disseminate policies and laws related to medical examination and treatment; organized nearly 120,000 communication sessions; provided meals for nearly 8.6 million patients and supported medical examination and treatment costs for nearly 860,000 patients.

According to Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ha Anh Duc, in addition to the achievements, the implementation of Circular 43 still has some limitations, namely: the organizational model is not yet synchronized; many units have not yet established specialized departments for social work due to a lack of human resources and funding; the number and quality of social work staff are limited as this is a new field of study, standards and staffing levels have not yet been established, and staff have not received formal training or are mainly staff from other specialties performing the work as a side job.

To ensure that social work activities in medical examination and treatment facilities comply with current regulations, maintain achieved results, and develop more professionally in line with international trends, the Ministry of Health has assigned the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management to lead and coordinate with relevant units to revise and supplement Circular 43, and has sought feedback from medical units within the sector.

Delegates attending the conference.

In the draft of the new Circular guiding the social work profession in hospitals, the Ministry of Health proposes that, in addition to the tasks previously performed under Circular 43, hospital social workers should undertake additional responsibilities such as: counseling and psychosocial therapy; managing inpatients with serious illnesses; coordinating inter-sectoral efforts to resolve complex psychosocial issues; and connecting and referring cases that exceed their professional capacity.

In the draft, the Ministry of Health proposed funding for the implementation of social work services in medical examination and treatment facilities from the state budget; the medical examination and treatment facility's own funds; sponsorships and aid from organizations and individuals; and other legitimate funding sources that are organized, operated, and managed according to the law.

At the conference, delegates contributed ideas on key issues such as: encouraging healthcare facilities to allocate personnel to provide specialized social work services for patients, especially those caring for and treating patients with life-threatening illnesses; allocating the number of personnel for social work services according to the job position plan of healthcare facilities; and training and developing knowledge and skills in social work and basic medical knowledge.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cong-tac-xa-hoi-luon-dong-hanh-ho-tro-nguoi-benh-post846437.html