The National Assembly questioned the second group of issues in the health sector.

On the afternoon of November 11, continuing the program of the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly, the National Assembly will conduct a question and answer session on the second group of issues in the health sector, including the following contents: Mobilization and arrangement of medical forces, ensuring medicine and medical supplies for people and disease prevention and control after natural disasters; Issuance of licenses and practice certificates in the field of medical examination and treatment; Current status of management of functional foods, pharmaceutical cosmetics and solutions to handle violations; Prevention and control of harmful effects of tobacco and stimulants, especially in the school environment.

Vietnam National Assembly Television

3 minutes ago

Each practitioner is granted only one license.

Vice Chairwoman of the Social Affairs Committee Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy (Photo: QH).

Vice Chairwoman of the Social Affairs Committee Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy questioned Minister Dao Hong Lan about the Ministry of Health's solution so that each practitioner is only granted one practice license and can only be registered at one medical examination and treatment facility. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that currently, the implementation of regulations on granting practice licenses to practitioners clearly states that a practitioner has only one license. Before 2023, Ms. Lan said that the health sector has software to manage medical examination and treatment practitioners nationwide and more than 430,000/more than 600,000 practitioners nationwide have been put under management. According to her, the Ministry of Health is upgrading this software, connecting with the online public service system of localities to deploy solutions to ensure consistency nationwide, helping the health sector and local health to grasp information about practitioners.

11 minutes ago

Need for policies to retain public health workers

Delegate Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi (Ben Tre) (Photo: NA).

Delegate Nguyen Thi Yen Nhi (Ben Tre) questioned the Minister of Health about the situation after training of medical staff who did not follow the assignment of competent authorities and were willing to reimburse training costs to work for private medical facilities. Responding to the delegate, Minister Dao Hong Lan affirmed that in the period of 2022, the situation of medical staff quitting their jobs was very urgent with more than 9,000 medical staff quitting their jobs. After the pandemic, Ms. Lan said that there were many solutions to solve this situation. In particular, the Ministry of Health focused on amending the allowance and preferential regime for medical staff; amending decisions related to the regime of medical staff in villages... Localities also assessed the situation, with many policies to retain public medical staff. "Public medical staff are very important, currently still accounting for 95%, so there needs to be a policy to retain this team," Ms. Lan said.

14 minutes ago

Health Minister Brings Electronic Cigarettes into Parliament to Warn

Delegate Pham Thi Kieu (Dak Nong) (Photo: Hong Phong).

Delegate Pham Thi Kieu (Dak Nong) questioned the Minister of Health about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. She wanted to hear the Ministry of Health's solution to this situation. Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan recalled that in the past, when the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms was being drafted, new types of tobacco products such as heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes had not yet appeared. But recently, these products have appeared more and more on the market, the number of people using heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes has increased rapidly, posing many potential dangers, especially for young people. In 2020, a survey of tobacco use among adults increased 18 times, Ms. Lan cited and said that the survey showed that the demand and use of new tobacco products among young people and students have both increased. The effects and harms of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have been summarized in a detailed report by the Ministry of Health, but Ms. Lan added that the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products has many substances that affect people's health, especially young people. The Minister also brought a number of e-cigarette products with a variety of colors and shapes to present to the National Assembly. "Does anyone think this is an e-cigarette?", the female Minister asked while holding up an e-cigarette product. According to her, these products are very eye-catching, attractive and appealing to young people. The Minister cited a series of figures showing the dangers of e-cigarettes. On the side of the Ministry of Health, she said that she had pointed out the reasons why e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are floating on the market even though we have not allowed their sale, including the cause of smuggling. As an agency protecting people's health, the Ministry of Health proposes stronger solutions to address the e-cigarette trade that affects people, aiming to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products by a resolution of the National Assembly, before amending the Law on Prevention of Tobacco Harms, according to Ms. Lan.

31 minutes ago

Health is the most valuable asset of people and society.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan answered questions on the afternoon of November 11 (Photo: QH).

Speaking before answering questions, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan affirmed that health is the most valuable asset of the people and society. Recently, the Ministry of Health has built a health care system suitable to the country's economic conditions, ensuring health security. The Ministry of Health has also implemented many drastic measures, issued many programs, development orientations for the sector and removed difficulties and obstacles in practice regarding the procurement of supplies, shortage of medical equipment, resolving policies for medical staff, applying information technology in medical examination and treatment to reduce inconvenience... The health sector identified many shortcomings that need to be overcome, according to Ms. Lan. She said that the Ministry of Health has sent a 22-page report to National Assembly deputies and asked to listen to the issues of the sector. At the beginning, 82 National Assembly deputies signed to question Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan. On the afternoon of November 11, after the State Bank Governor Nguyen Thi Hong's speech, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan began to "sit in the hot seat", answering questions from National Assembly deputies. This is the first time a female Minister of Health has answered questions before the National Assembly since taking office. Ms. Dao Hong Lan answered questions about a group of issues in the health sector, including the mobilization and arrangement of medical forces, ensuring medicine and medical supplies for people, and disease prevention and control after natural disasters; the granting of licenses and practice certificates in the field of medical examination and treatment.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: Hong Phong).

The current status of management of functional foods, pharmaceutical cosmetics and solutions to handle violations; the work of preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco and stimulants, especially in the school environment... were also questioned. In addition to the main responsibility of the Minister of Health, there was also a part explaining and clarifying related issues by Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long and the Ministers of the Ministries of Planning and Investment, Finance, Industry and Trade, Education and Training, Public Security, and National Defense. Previously, the Minister of Health also reported to National Assembly delegates on a number of contents related to the group of questions. Regarding the work of preventing and combating the harmful effects of tobacco and stimulants, especially in the school environment, the Minister of Health mentioned the emergence of new tobacco products including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products - products identified as "causing many serious harms to health, economy, society and living environment, directly affecting young people". According to Ms. Lan, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have been warned by the World Health Organization and many health experts to be toxic, addictive, and affect the health and lives of people, especially young people. The World Health Organization has sent two official documents to the Government and the Ministry of Health proposing to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in Vietnam, but there is currently no legal mechanism to manage e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products; this concept is not yet in the law, nor has any agency been assigned to regulate regulations or management standards. The Minister of Health cited the assessment of the Health Economics Association, showing that the economic damage caused by smoking is roughly 5 times greater than the revenue from taxes. In particular, the addictive nature and increasingly popular and sophisticated drug mixing have been warned by the Ministry of Public Security. But in reality, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are attractive and appealing to young people as they aim for a trendy lifestyle; The designs and flavors are diverse, attractive and very cheap, so young people can easily own these products. According to the Minister of Health, there is even a situation of using youth idols to promote this toxic product. "According to the summary report, nearly 700 medical examination and treatment facilities in 2023 alone had 1,224 hospitalizations due to the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products," the Ministry of Health stated clearly and pointed out the inadequacy when the sanctions are not strong enough to deter. According to the Minister, the Ministry of Health will amend and supplement the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms and submit to the National Assembly for promulgation a Resolution on banning the production, trading, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other new tobacco products.

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/bo-truong-y-te-mang-theo-thuoc-la-dien-tu-vao-nghi-truong-qh-de-canh-bao-20241111085632239.htm