Drug bidding: Policy mechanism is complete but...

Many hospitals have bid for drugs and medical equipment to serve medical examination and treatment - Photo: NAM TRAN

Is drug bidding still difficult or is there another reason?

People still have to buy medicine outside.

Many patients, despite having health insurance, have to run around to buy medicine outside. For example, Mr. M. (from Vinh Phuc), who is being treated for peritonitis, stomach ulcers, and small intestine tumors at a tertiary hospital in Hanoi, was given a prescription by the doctor and asked to buy the medicine himself.

Including amino acid medicine - 20% type 50ml (Albumin 20%, 50ml) and Amino acid + glucose + lipid + electrolyte...

Holding the bill in his hand, Mr. M. said that these two drugs, bought at a pharmacy outside the hospital, cost nearly 5 million VND. According to Tuoi Tre 's research, these two drugs are on the list of drugs specifically covered by health insurance in certain cases.

Recently, another patient also reported to Tuoi Tre about having to buy IV lines, endotracheal tubes, cotton swabs... while being treated at a tertiary hospital in Hanoi. The shortage of drugs and medical supplies is still occurring sporadically in some hospitals.

Speaking to the press on September 24, Mr. Hoang Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Finance (Ministry of Health), said that through the reflection of some mass media, the Ministry of Health has learned that some medical facilities are still experiencing shortages of drugs and medical supplies.

Mr. Cuong affirmed that the shortage occurred locally, in some hospitals at certain times. "Through inspection and review, we found that there was a shortage in some hospitals because in early 2024, hospitals had just applied the new Bidding Law, so the application was delayed.

In addition, some bidding packages have provisions that are not in accordance with the regulations on bidding packages, leading to bid cancellation. Basically, the work of ensuring drugs and supplies for medical examination and treatment is meeting the demand," Mr. Cuong commented.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre , a leader of a final-level hospital in Hanoi also said that the shortage of drugs and medical supplies is mainly due to supply disruptions or the bidding process. According to this person, final-level hospitals are often overloaded, so there are items that exceed the budget, leading to disruptions.

"There are 6 ways to determine the bidding price. For some special drugs and drugs that are rarely used, we can use the listed price. Enterprises must comply with the law on prices. Enterprises are not allowed to inflate prices, causing losses...", Mr. Cuong said.

According to Mr. Cuong, the Ministry of Health has issued three specific guidance documents and organized training courses on bidding. In addition, it has issued a list of issues that investors often encounter and widely disseminated them to medical facilities nationwide.

Through review, many of the problems that hospitals have reported have been specifically regulated in laws, decrees, and circulars. The Ministry has provided full guidance on the regulated contents for hospitals to easily implement.

The policy mechanism is complete.

Speaking at a conference on hospital management in the new era recently held in Hanoi, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the current mechanism for bidding for drug procurement is considered adequate. Many units have carried out bidding.

Ms. Lan emphasized that if any unit says that there is a shortage of medicine due to policy mechanisms, it is necessary to discuss to find a solution. In case it cannot be implemented, that is the responsibility of the unit. Hospitals must be responsible if there is a shortage of medicine to treat patients.

The leader of the Department of Planning and Finance also affirmed that up to now, legal regulations and instructions for purchasing drugs and medical supplies have basically met the needs.

"However, some problems may arise during implementation. But these problems are not the main reason why hospitals cannot make purchases.

The evidence is that many localities and hospitals have bid and encountered no problems. However, some hospitals have encountered problems. In the recent past, the Ministry of Health has closely reviewed and promptly provided guidance and regulations so that bidding can meet the needs of medical treatment for the people," said Mr. Cuong.

Regarding the procurement bidding, Mr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital, said that in terms of the current bidding policy mechanism, the problems caused by previous bidding have basically been resolved. The hospital has purchased medicines, chemicals, and supplies to serve the medical examination and treatment of the people.

The leader of Viet Duc Hospital also said that the decrees and circulars guiding bidding have removed obstacles, and hospitals can purchase and bid according to regulations.

"In particular, regulations such as being allowed to receive 1 quote, being able to choose the highest quote... have helped hospitals choose drugs and medical supplies that are suitable for their needs and meet treatment expertise," he said.

Need a price management policy?

The leader of Bach Mai Hospital said that the hospital is currently facing problems such as price management. According to Mr. Co, the Government has recently directed that prices must be made public, but hospitals need more management from authorities. Bidding and purchasing follow legal documents, but hospitals still face the risk of buying at high prices.

"When purchasing with quotes from businesses, or with the winning bid prices of other units as planned prices, there is still a risk of purchasing at unreasonable or expensive prices. Therefore, hospitals really want a price management policy so that hospitals can bid and purchase most conveniently," Mr. Co proposed.

Regarding the package price, Mr. Cuong said that Decree 24 clearly stipulates 6 ways to determine the package price. Price management is according to the provisions of the 2023 Price Law. There are many ways to determine the price of materials to be purchased based on market prices, through the results of open bidding.

All of these bidding results have been made public on the national bidding network. This is a price reference channel for medical facilities, reflecting quite closely the market, serving as a basis for making bids.

There will be a bidding manual.

Mr. Cuong added that recently the Government assigned the Ministry of Health the task of continuing to review and propose amendments according to its authority to the content that is still stuck in the implementation process or is not suitable to reality.

"In particular, the Prime Minister also assigned the ministry to take charge of developing a handbook on the process of purchasing drugs and medical equipment. We are currently implementing this task. In the near future, based on research and synthesizing the difficulties of hospitals, we will issue a handbook, in the spirit of hand-holding. Hospitals can refer to it to carry out bidding and procurement.

It is important that units must seriously implement it, avoid shirking responsibility, and push their tasks to superiors," Mr. Cuong emphasized.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dau-thau-thuoc-co-che-chinh-sach-da-day-du-nhung-2024092622400592.htm