Ministry of Health rectifies prescription of drugs, milk, and functional foods

Recently, through the management of medical examination and treatment (medical examination and treatment) of the Ministry of Health , the announcement of a number of agencies, units and reflections on the media about the situation of medical staff advising and instructing patients and their families on the use of milk products produced and distributed by a number of enterprises, organizations and individuals and investigated and discovered to be fake milk and the production and trade of fake drugs on a large scale...

To ensure that medical examination and treatment strictly comply with legal regulations, medical expertise and ensure the rights and safety of patients, the Ministry of Health has just issued an official dispatch requesting directors of hospitals under the Ministry and directors of health departments of provinces and centrally run cities to closely direct this work.

Accordingly, regarding the prescription, indication, and use of drugs, medical facilities need to review, check, and compare the list of drugs and drugs used in medical examination and treatment facilities with counterfeit drugs that have been investigated, discovered, and handled by competent authorities recently, and take measures to handle them according to regulations (if there are violations).

It is necessary to review and check the prescription of non-medicinal products such as milk, functional foods, etc. to promptly correct and take measures to handle according to regulations (if there are violations).

Medical facilities shall strengthen inspection, supervision and rectification if they detect acts in medical examination and treatment: prescribing and indicating the use of drugs that have not been licensed for circulation according to the provisions of the law on pharmaceuticals in medical examination and treatment; prescribing drugs, indicating the implementation of technical services, medical equipment, suggesting to transfer patients to other medical examination and treatment facilities or other acts for profit; practitioners selling drugs in any form; taking advantage of prescribing drugs for profit, advertising drugs without the content being confirmed by a competent state management agency or not in accordance with the confirmed content.

Units urgently deploy solutions to ensure the prescription and use of drugs appropriately, safely and effectively. Manage and supervise the prescription and use of drugs for practitioners in accordance with diagnosis, disease status, necessity, right purpose, safety, rationality and effectiveness. Strengthen clinical pharmacy activities in consulting, monitoring prescriptions; monitoring adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and implementing drug interaction management activities according to the guidance of the Ministry of Health.

Regarding the consumption of non-medicinal products such as milk, functional foods, etc. in medical examination and treatment facilities, the facilities shall inspect and review the medical staff's consultation, introduction, and sale of milk products (especially fake milk products that have been investigated and discovered by the investigation agency), functional foods, etc. to patients and their families.

Review and ensure that nutrition activities in hospitals are carried out in accordance with the provisions of Article 67 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023 and Circular No. 18/2020/TT-BYT dated November 12, 2020 of the Ministry of Health regulating nutrition activities in hospitals.

In addition, units must inspect and supervise the information, advertising, marketing, prescription, consultation, labeling, and instructions for use of non-medicinal products with the content of being used for disease prevention, treatment, diagnosis, treatment, alleviation, and adjustment of physiological functions of the human body; advertising beyond the scope of practice or beyond the scope of professional activities approved by competent authorities; taking advantage of medical knowledge to falsely advertise medical examination and treatment.

The Ministry of Health requests that units strictly handle, absolutely not cover up or tolerate violations; at the same time, strengthen the dissemination of legal regulations and timely information to raise awareness and sense of responsibility of medical staff, patients, relatives and people in participating in detecting and combating violations.

The Ministry of Health requests that directors of hospitals under the Ministry and directors of health departments of provinces and centrally run cities urgently direct the implementation of the above contents and report the implementation status and results of handling violations (if any) to the Ministry of Health (through the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management) before April 24, 2025.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bo-y-te-chan-chinh-viec-ke-don-thuoc-sua-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-post873861.html