Troubleshooting drug and material procurement

On March 16, at the Northern Regional Hospital Directors Club Conference held in Quang Ninh province, many issues on hospital management; application of information technology, digital transformation; bidding, procurement of equipment and supplies; hospital fees were discussed by hospital leaders and leaders of the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan asked hospital directors and related units to discuss and coordinate to resolve problems related to bidding, procurement of drugs, medical equipment and supplies, health insurance settlement, etc. to remove difficulties for hospitals.

According to the Minister of Health, the Government has issued a new Decree on bidding and the Ministry of Health is making every effort to best support hospitals in terms of mechanisms and policies.

The Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and branches promptly issue sub-law documents to guide medical facilities in implementing the law on medical examination and treatment, bidding, and decrees related to insurance payments.

There were many difficulties in the past, but thanks to Decree 24, it has been revised very carefully and consulted with medical facilities and ministries. The newly issued documents have removed difficulties in purchasing medicine and medical equipment.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co, Director of Bach Mai Hospital, said that the revised documents and decrees have been applied to purchase equipment for patients.

"For example, previously, three quotations were required when making a quotation plan, but now three quotations are not required. Or the bidding law allows investors to choose the origin of goods in different countries, regions and territories. From here, investors can choose drugs and equipment according to the needs and financial capacity of their facilities," Associate Professor Co informed.

According to the Director of Bach Mai Hospital, during difficult times, the hospital has made good use of legal documents to purchase medicine and medical equipment. Currently, the hospital has ensured medicine, supplies and equipment for medical examination and treatment. Currently, patients come for examination in the morning, and by the afternoon, they have enough tests for the patients, saving costs for the patients.

Many "open doors" in purchasing materials

Mr. Hoang Cuong, Head of Policy Department, Bidding Management Department, Ministry of Planning and Investment said that with the new regulations, after 3-4 days of online bidding, hospitals can purchase damaged spare parts and supplies.

"Previously, when we organized bidding, we were not allowed to state the brand or origin of the components, which made it very difficult for medical facilities. With the new procurement method, ensuring transparency is done entirely on the national bidding network, ensuring timeliness in procurement," Mr. Cuong informed.

Even in cases where there is only one quotation, the value of the quotation is allowed to be used as the basis for the bid package price. In cases where there is more than one quotation, the highest quotation is allowed to be used as the basis for establishing the bid package price.

"With this regulation, medical facilities believe that choosing the highest price quote helps hospitals buy good equipment and supplies. Hospitals evaluate that this regulation creates conditions for medical facilities to purchase medicine and medical equipment," said Mr. Cuong.

Mr. Cuong added that since January 1, when the bidding law took effect, more than 10,000 bidding packages have been issued nationwide, including procurement for healthcare. The bidding process has been shortened.

However, according to hospital directors, there are still problems that need to be resolved in the bidding process. Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co assessed that the Bidding Law has solved many problems in the procurement of drugs and supplies, but even when businesses quote and declare prices on the system, it is not necessarily safe because businesses can inflate prices.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong, Director of Duc Giang General Hospital (Hanoi) said that it is necessary to have more specific regulations, which items are subject to central centralized bidding, which items are subject to local centralized bidding and which items are allowed to be bid at the hospital. Thus, we still have to wait for the circular with specific instructions...

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that in response to these opinions, the Ministry of Health is urgently focusing on developing and issuing circulars to guide implementation.