Resolutely resolve difficulties in bidding for drugs, supplies and medical equipment

On the afternoon of February 21, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting with leaders of the Ministry of Health , a number of ministries, branches, health departments, and hospitals to listen to reports and give opinions on the draft Decree guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the 2023 Law on Bidding on contractor selection (Decree).

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha: The hospital council must determine the configuration, technical requirements, quality, and economic efficiency of drugs, supplies, and medical equipment, as a basis for selecting the bidding package price - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that during the process of drafting the Decree, regarding the contents related to the field of bidding for drugs, equipment, and medical supplies, the Ministry asked for opinions from Government members on: Regulations on setting bidding package prices; procedures for approving contractor selection plans in the shortened bidding process; payment for the cost of purchasing drugs, chemicals, testing supplies, and medical equipment for private medical examination and treatment facilities.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested that representatives of hospitals and health departments contribute frankly to the articles, points, and clauses so that when the Decree is issued, it will create unity in perception and immediately resolve practical problems.

“The selection of contractors in the healthcare sector is strictly managed, ensuring safety, preventing corruption, waste, and inefficiency, but must be strongly decentralized,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Leaders of the Ministry of Health and hospitals speak at the meeting – Photo: VGP/MK

Deputy Minister of Health Le Duc Luan said that the specific nature of bidding for the procurement of drugs, supplies, and medical equipment must meet both professional and technical requirements, treatment needs, and financial capacity. Therefore, the Ministry of Health proposed that in cases where there are two or more quotations, the highest price can be selected as the basis for making an estimate for the construction of the bidding package price.

Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Deputy Director of the Central Eye Hospital, said that according to the current process, the hospital's Council will select the list, feature requirements and basic technical requirements based on professional requirements, before building the bid package price.

Agreeing with this opinion, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Bac, Director of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, stated that in the case of purchasing equipment and technology used to deploy new techniques that are not yet available in Vietnam, there is no basis for setting the bidding package price, so a special mechanism is needed.

Leaders of the 108 Military Central Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, and K Hospital also proposed maximum decentralization for medical facilities to conduct direct bidding for the purchase of drugs for emergency treatment, rare drugs, and essential consumables in accordance with their capacity and treatment requirements; add oriental medicine, radioactive drugs, and consumable medical supplies to the bidding list; expand the types of drugs and medical supplies subject to price negotiation and centralized bidding.

Delegates also discussed and commented on contents related to regulations on assessing or determining information on the quality of drugs, medical equipment, chemicals, and testing materials; publicizing information and collecting fees for posting bidding notices; applying regulations during the time the Decree has not been issued; supplementing regulations on cases of centralized procurement carried out by signing framework agreements; regulations on purchasing goods and services to perform scientific and technological tasks; regulations on transitional implementation, etc.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha stated that there must be no legal gaps when conducting bidding activities in general, including in the healthcare sector, from the time the 2023 Bidding Law comes into effect - Photo: VGP/MK

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that the issue of bidding for drugs and medical equipment is extremely important and needs to be resolved through mechanisms and legal policies.

Through the opinions at the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to study and absorb as much as possible and promptly complete the draft Decree. The Ministry of Health will coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to develop criteria to determine the authenticity and legality of quotation information sources as a basis for setting the bidding package price. "The most important thing is that the hospital council must determine the configuration, technical requirements, quality, and economic efficiency of drugs, supplies, and medical equipment as a basis for selecting the bidding package price," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

To remove difficulties in implementing bidding consultancy and appraisal, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed clear regulations to mobilize and encourage the participation of legally established consulting and appraisal units and organizations; in case there is no consulting or appraisal unit or organization participating, the investor will establish a consulting and appraisal team in bidding.

Regarding the decentralization of drug bidding, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that centralized bidding is an extremely effective, necessary, transparent, and objective measure for people to access new, good, and cheap drugs. Therefore, commonly used drugs with large volumes must be included in the centralized bidding list (national and local levels), selecting qualified manufacturers and enterprises, while rare, special, and specialized drugs must be decentralized to hospitals.

The Deputy Prime Minister also gave his opinion on regulations on bidding; selecting contractors in special cases; applying bidding prices for medicines, supplies, and medical equipment for private hospitals performing health insurance examination and treatment...

Regarding the transitional provisions, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that there should be no legal gaps when conducting bidding activities in general, including in the healthcare sector. For example, bidding packages implemented under previous legal documents and regulations must be reviewed and reported to competent authorities if they are contrary to the 2023 Bidding Law or the Decree guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the 2023 Bidding Law on contractor selection; allowing the implementation period of bidding packages implemented from the time the 2023 Bidding Law takes effect to supplement and complete the dossier.

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/giai-quyet-dut-diem-vuong-mac-ve-dau-thau-thuoc-vat-tu-thiet-bi-y-te-102240221193148971.htm

Source: https://baolangson.vn/chinh-tri/645539-giai-quyet-dut-diem-vuong-mac-ve-dau-thau-thuoc-vat-tu-thiet-bi-y-te.html