Vietnam’s lawmakers at the ongoing plenum have suggested the issuance of a resolution on Covid-19 prevention and control.

Lawmaker Nguyen Anh Tri, former head of the National Institute Of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT). Photo: Giang Huy

At the 15th National Assembly (NA)’s 1st sitting began on July 20, lawmaker Nguyen Anh Tri, former head of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), proposed the NA or the NA Standing Committee adopt a special resolution on the issue.

The NA has not enacted any legislation on this pandemic yet though Vietnam has undergone uninterrupted outbreaks for almost two years, Tri said at the discussion session on the draft law for 2022 held on July 21.

Sharing the same idea, lawmaker Nguyen Lan Hieu, director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital (HMUH), said legal framework helps ease the burden of work that health workers are bearing, such as cumbersome

"No transparent guidance might hinder health professionals’ work," Hieu said.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Lan Hieu, director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital (HMUH). Photos: NA's Press Center

Hieu said the NA should add revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment to the latest lawmaking program, noting that the law should be a legal framework for the Ministry of Health to rely on and issue guiding circulars in specific areas.

He said that draft law needs to legalize medical checkups and treatment models used in the pandemic over the past time, including Telehealth. According to the doctor, his hospital has applied the new model but faced shortcomings due to the lack of legal guidance.

Although the Ministry of Health has tried to issue circulars guiding the implementation of Telehealth, it’s still hard to apply on a large scale because of no legislation covering such issues,” Hieu said.

Lawmaker Le Xuan Than, deputy chairman of the Khanh Hoa People’s Council, stated that the NA needs to add to the 2022 lawmaking program some draft laws namely Bill on Disease Prevention and People’s Health Improvement, Bill on Medical Equipment, Bill on Emergencies.

According to Than, Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases which was adopted in 2007 is outdated, requiring “timely amendment.”

Le Xuan Than, deputy chairman of the Khanh Hoa People’s Council.

He said the legislative work must meet the practical needs and become more important in the current stage. It helps both the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the State governance.

“I propose the NA Standing Committee to consider assigning the Government to amend the law and submit the amendment at the next session of this year so that we have legal tools timely,” he said, adding that the law would specify contents mentioned in Directive 15, 16, and 19 that provide regulations in Covid-19 prevention and control.

Lawmakers made the requests at a time when Covid-19 is sweeping 61 out of 63 cities and provinces. Sometimes the way the law is implemented differs in certain parts of the country, confusing law enforcement and making it difficult to enforce.

The Ministry of Health assumes responsibility for dealing with infectious diseases by monitoring, preventing, and controlling them; issuing, amending, and supplementing the list of infectious diseases, which are subject to the compulsory use of vaccine/medical-biological products; and guiding the appraisal of health impact assessment report of infectious disease examination and treatment facility.