Need substance, not just “on paper”

The Ministry of Health is reforming administrative procedures, but to be truly effective, drastic action is needed, not leaving the reform "just on paper".

Health administrative reform: Need to be substantial, not just "on paper"

The Ministry of Health is reforming administrative procedures, but to be truly effective, drastic action is needed, not leaving the reform "just on paper".

In the context of the global economy and the rapidly growing pharmaceutical market, supporting the pharmaceutical industry has become an urgent task, especially when this industry not only plays an important role in public health care but is also a key economic sector of Vietnam.

Institutional reform and promoting investment environment

Institutional reform in the pharmaceutical industry is considered an important solution to promote the sustainable development of pharmaceutical enterprises. According to the leaders of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry has recently revised and supplemented legal documents to improve management efficiency and reduce legal barriers, creating a transparent, competitive and fair investment environment.

Although the Ministry of Health's leaders affirmed that they are making efforts to reform administration, reality shows that administrative procedures are still a major barrier causing difficulties for businesses.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that the Ministry of Health has developed policies that not only protect public health but also create favorable conditions for businesses, improve production capacity and innovate technology.

One of the major problems facing pharmaceutical companies is the complicated and lengthy administrative procedures. To address this issue, the Ministry of Health has implemented measures to reform administrative procedures, simplifying the processes of registration, licensing and inspection of pharmaceutical products.

Specifically, the Ministry of Health has reviewed and adjusted regulations, reduced unnecessary steps, reduced the number of required documents in the dossier, and promoted the application of information technology in management and licensing.

Instead of requiring 5-7 steps with a lot of paperwork as before, the Ministry of Health is aiming to simplify the process to only 2-3 necessary documents. Digital transformation and automation of the licensing process are also being actively implemented to create a modern and transparent management system.

One of the notable points in the Ministry of Health's support for pharmaceutical businesses is the organization of dialogue conferences between management agencies and the business community.

For example, on December 18, 2024, the Ministry of Health organized the third Pharmaceutical Business Dialogue Conference in Quang Ninh, with the participation of more than 500 direct and online bridges.

Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen emphasized that the reform efforts of the Ministry of Health have received support from the pharmaceutical business community. However, there are still some shortcomings in the implementation of legal documents, and the Ministry of Health will continue to improve the legal system and administrative procedures.

In 2023, the Ministry of Health received 199 comments from businesses. After reviewing, the Ministry accepted and resolved 63 comments, the remaining are being studied and resolved. In 2024, the Ministry continued to receive 284 recommendations, focusing on issues such as drug registration, drug price management, drug bidding and drug quality. These recommendations will continue to be studied and resolved by the Ministry of Health.

To date, the Ministry of Health has resolved many backlogs and granted certificates to thousands of pharmaceutical products, contributing to improving the licensing process and enhancing transparency in pharmaceutical industry management.

In addition to reforming administrative procedures, the Ministry of Health also focuses on digital transformation in pharmaceutical management. The application of information technology helps increase transparency and efficiency in drug quality management, licensing and monitoring of business operations. The Ministry of Health is deploying an online management system, helping businesses carry out administrative procedures quickly and conveniently.

There are still barriers

Although the Ministry of Health's leaders have affirmed that they are making efforts to reform the administration, the reality shows that administrative procedures are still a major obstacle that causes difficulties for businesses. On December 6, the Government Inspectorate announced the conclusion of the inspection on the responsibility of performing public duties of officials and civil servants in handling administrative procedures at the Ministry of Health.

The inspection agency has pointed out many shortcomings and shortcomings in the handling of administrative procedures. In particular, delays in handling these procedures not only cause inconvenience to businesses and people but also lead to a shortage of medicines and medical equipment. This risks creating a "request-grant" mechanism, lacking transparency and causing public outrage.

The conclusion of the Government Inspectorate clearly stated that the work of reviewing, evaluating, reducing and simplifying administrative procedures at the Ministry of Health was slow, incomplete and not in accordance with the Government's direction.

Through inspection of 20 administrative procedures at 5 units under the Ministry of Health, including the Department of Drug Administration, Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Department of Food Safety, Department of Traditional Medicine Management, and Department of Infrastructure and Medical Equipment, the results showed that there were many violations.

The Government Inspectorate pointed out that the Ministry of Health did not report the actual status of case processing, with inaccurate data. Although the Ministry of Health reported the rate of overdue cases in the period 2021-2023 as 4.97%, the actual rate was up to 69.8%, much higher than the reported figure. Some administrative procedures are still seriously delayed, with processing times lasting from 2-4 years, instead of just 3 days as prescribed.

In particular, at the Drug Administration Department, the Government Inspectorate discovered that applications were submitted and assessed first but were not processed with priority according to the principle. The Department also did not fully publicize the application processing process on the information system, making monitoring the processing process ineffective.

The inspectors also pointed out that units under the Ministry of Health required businesses to supplement their dossiers beyond the regulations, requested them too many times, and requested unnecessary additional elements, causing inconvenience to businesses. These violations contributed to the backlog of dossiers, making licensing difficult and leading to a shortage of drugs and medical equipment.

The Government Inspectorate concluded that delays in handling administrative procedures were one of the main causes of the shortage of drugs and equipment.

This shortcoming also creates the risk of "asking for favors", lack of fairness and transparency in handling administrative procedures, arousing indignation from public opinion and the business community.

The Government Inspectorate requested the Ministry of Health to implement strong solutions to overcome these shortcomings. It is necessary to strengthen inspection, supervision and improve public service responsibilities, while ensuring that administrative procedures are carried out in accordance with regulations, without causing inconvenience to people and businesses.

The Ministry of Health also needs to review and perfect legal regulations and rectify the management of administrative procedure records to ensure transparency, fairness and efficiency in handling administrative procedures.

Although the Ministry of Health has made remarkable efforts in reforming administrative procedures, in reality there is still much work to be done so that these reforms are not just words "on paper".

Backlogs, delays in processing applications, and lack of transparency are causing difficulties for businesses and negatively affecting public health care.

In order for the pharmaceutical industry to develop sustainably and create a transparent and effective investment environment, the Ministry of Health needs to continue to resolutely implement reforms, strengthen management and enhance the public service responsibilities of its staff.

Administrative reform cannot stop at documents, but must be implemented substantially with specific and drastic actions. If this is done well, it will not only resolve current problems but also build a solid foundation for the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry to develop strongly, accompanying the overall development of the national health sector.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/cai-cach-hanh-chinh-y-te-can-thuc-chat-khong-chi-tren-giay-d233071.html