After many years of having to go to the hospital once a month to receive medication, they will soon be able to get medication for up to 90 days at a time if their condition is stable.
This could be a big step forward in health administrative reform, and is good news for millions of patients, especially the elderly and those in remote areas.
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According to information from the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ), the new Circular expected to be issued on July 1 will officially allow outpatient prescriptions for up to 2-3 months for chronic diseases on the approved list. Previously, according to Circular 52/2017/TT-BYT, the maximum prescription period was only 30 days, causing patients, even though their treatment was stable, to have to return for regular check-ups just to receive medication.
This is a reality that many patients and their families have been complaining about for many years. Having to go to the hospital once a month, lining up early in the morning, waiting all afternoon just to get a few dozen pills is a nightmare for many elderly people and people with difficulty moving around.
Meanwhile, the policy of only allowing short-term prescriptions causes some people to give up their health insurance benefits and choose to buy medicine at private pharmacies for convenience, leading to a great loss in treatment costs.
Sharing the reason for the policy change, Mr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), said that extending the prescription period for chronic diseases that have been treated stably is completely feasible. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health allowed the provision of drugs every 3 months to limit the need for patients to go to the hospital, and the results showed that the rate of complications or drug adjustments was very low, only about 3%.
The list of diseases considered for long-term medication includes not only common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or mental disorders, but also extends to about 200 other diseases in many specialties.
These include chronic infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS; blood and immune diseases such as Thalassemia, hemolytic anemia, bone marrow failure; endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism, thyrotoxicosis; and many neurological and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia.
In particular, some gynecological diseases in adolescents such as menorrhagia in puberty are also considered for extended drug dispensing time. Expanding this list not only helps patients receive treatment more conveniently, but also contributes to reducing the burden on the frontline health system, while improving the quality of management of chronic and rare diseases in the community.
However, not all patients on the list will be given a default 90-day supply of medication. Doctors will base on each patient's specific condition, stability, ability to self-monitor and comply with treatment to decide the appropriate number of prescription days, which can be 30, 60 or 90 days.
The prescribing physician must be responsible for his or her decisions and at the same time guide the patient to recognize abnormal signs, how to handle them and when to return for a check-up.
To develop a reasonable and safe list of diseases, the Ministry of Health consulted with more than 20 end-line hospitals of different specialties, organized an assessment through a professional council and asked each medical facility to propose specific criteria.
Factors such as added cost, ability to store medication at home, and risk of disease progression or complications are all carefully considered before being included in the final list.
From the people’s perspective, this policy is expected to partly resolve the long-standing difficulties in treating chronic diseases. Many families with elderly relatives, suffering from multiple illnesses, and having difficulty moving have had to manage by going to private doctors or buying medicine outside, even though they have health insurance. Allowing long-term medication will help these people save time and effort, while still enjoying full insurance benefits.
A leader of Vietnam Social Security also confirmed that this unit fully supports the new policy of the Ministry of Health, because providing medicine for 2-3 months not only reduces the financial and time burden for patients, but also contributes to reducing overload pressure at hospitals.
The pilot practice at some facilities such as Xanh Pon Hospital ( Hanoi ) shows that the rate of patients having to return for early re-examination is very low, proving that the implementation of the policy is completely feasible and effective.
However, some issues still need to be coordinated to be resolved in the coming time, such as the cost of health insurance drugs may increase slightly, or the process of updating medical examination and treatment data between medical levels.
The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management said it will coordinate with the Social Insurance to provide specific instructions for localities, and at the same time organize training and synchronous implementation at hospitals from next July.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/nguoi-benh-man-tinh-sap-duoc-cap-thuoc-toi-da-3-thanglan-d297965.html
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