Hospitals are allowed to purchase equipment as needed.

Medical facilities can choose the highest price, suitable for their financial capacity and professional requirements, not having to buy the lowest price as before.

These are new regulations in Circular 14, recently issued by the Ministry of Health, effective from July 1 to the end of 2023. The Circular was issued to institutionalize Resolution No. 30 of the Government, to remove difficulties and obstacles in the procurement of medical equipment at public health facilities, especially in the construction of bidding package prices.

Accordingly, the investor determines the price of the bidding package for the procurement of goods and provision of services in the field of medical equipment according to one of three methods. First , collect quotations provided by businesses trading in goods and services in the field of medical equipment. Second , survey the winning bid prices of similar goods and services. Third , the price appraisal results of competent state agencies and price appraisal enterprises.

When applying the method of determining the bid price, the first method used is to collect quotations from suppliers. After this method cannot be implemented, then one of the remaining two methods can be implemented.

In particular, in cases where investors use two or more methods to determine the package price, they can choose the highest price, suitable to their financial capacity and professional requirements. Thus, this solution overcomes the situation where medical facilities have to buy the cheapest equipment but do not meet professional requirements in medical examination and treatment.

Previously, hospitals had to refer to the winning bid price of the previous 12 months as the basis for opening new bids. The winning bid price could not be higher than the planned price and had to be the cheapest among the participating bidders. As a result, the hospital could not buy good materials at the prescribed low price, and could not "cross the line" because it would get into trouble with the law, so it had to accept buying substandard goods. The consequences fell on the patients, and the doctors were troubled.

On August 21, 2022, at the Conference on Improving People's Health Care with the participation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and ministries , Director of Cho Ray Hospital, Mr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, frankly pointed out the shortcomings in bidding, which required the hospital to choose cheap drugs and supplies. This is the reason why the hospital had to use a surgical knife that had to be cut three times before passing through the patient's skin. Also during this time, when working with the working delegation of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Nguyen Duc Truong, Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen A Hospital, said that the hospital had to buy "hemorrhoid scalpels, but every time it was operated on, it bled".

Medical staff at Cho Ray Hospital check drugs at the pharmacy warehouse. Photo: Quynh Tran

In addition to the regulation that the lowest price must not be purchased, the circular also provides guidance on the construction of bidding package prices. Accordingly, the investor decides to establish a Council or requests the Department of Health to support the establishment of a Council to select the list, requirements on features and techniques. Then, the request for quotation is posted on the National Bidding Network or on the Electronic Information Portal, within a minimum period of 10 days.

The investor shall base on the number of quotations received (including cases where only one or two quotations are received) and decide on the bid package price. In cases where there are two or more quotations, the highest quotation may be selected, in accordance with financial capacity and professional requirements.

In case there are only one or two suppliers in the Vietnamese market or to ensure compatibility in technology, copyright or need immediate implementation, the investor is allowed to send a quotation request directly to the supplier.

The Ministry of Health assessed that this circular creates a legal corridor, overcomes difficulties and obstacles, clearly defines the authority and responsibility of units in each implementation content, ensuring that there will no longer be a shortage of drugs and supplies as in the past.

Since mid-2022, major hospitals such as Bach Mai, Viet Duc, and Cho Ray have been unable to purchase testing equipment and chemicals and have had to send patients to other facilities for imaging due to difficulties in bidding and procurement. The Government has subsequently issued Decree 07 and Resolution 30 (effective immediately) allowing hospitals to pilot a number of new procurement mechanisms. The Ministry of Health has also removed the regulation that when bidding for drugs, "the planned price cannot be higher than the previous highest bid price" (ceiling price) - removing obstacles and resolving the situation of severe drug shortages. Thanks to that, most end-line units such as Bach Mai, Viet Duc, and Cho Ray have returned to normal operations, meeting the needs of patients.

Le Nga

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