Joint Circular No. 11/1999/TTLT-BYT-BHXH guides healthcare facilities in issuing sick leave certificates to insured patients participating in social insurance.

JOINT CIRCULAR

No. 11/1999/TTLT-BYT-BHXH dated June 22, 1999, issued by the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Security guiding medical facilities to issue sick leave certificates for social insurance participants

Pursuant to Chapter II of the Social Insurance Regulations promulgated together with Decree No. 12/CP dated January 26, 1995 and Decree No. 45/CP dated July 15, 1995 of the Government on the Social Insurance Regulations for officers, professional military personnel, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the People's Army and police; in order to unify the implementation of outpatient medical services for civil servants, public officials, state employees, armed forces, and workers participating in social insurance (hereinafter referred to collectively as workers) to protect their legitimate rights; the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Security hereby jointly stipulate the responsibilities of medical facilities in issuing sick leave certificates and the organization of the Vietnam Social Security in implementing social insurance benefits for workers when they take time off for outpatient medical treatment as follows: 1. Workers participating in social insurance who are ill and need to rest during medical treatment, provided they have complete documentation as required, shall be entitled to sickness allowance according to the provisions of the Social Insurance Regulations.

I. OBJECTS AND SCOPE OF APPLICATION

2. The maximum duration for which workers can receive sickness allowance upon taking sick leave, as stipulated in Article 7 of the Social Insurance Regulations promulgated together with Decree No. 12/CP dated January 26, 1995 of the Government.

3. State-owned medical facilities, medical facilities of armed forces (collectively referred to as state-owned medical facilities), medical facilities of collectives and private entities, and medical facilities with foreign investment (collectively referred to as private medical facilities) that have signed contracts with the Vietnam Health Insurance to provide medical services for cardholders must assign doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners from their units to conduct medical examinations, treatments, and issue sick leave certificates entitling workers participating in social insurance to receive social insurance benefits.

4. In cases where workers receive sick leave certificates from two or three specialties within the same period, they shall only be entitled to one certificate with the longest duration of leave.

II. RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF DOCTORS, MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS, AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS IN ISSUING SICK LEAVE CERTIFICATES FOR OUTPATIENT TREATMENT

1.1. Doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners working at medical facilities have the authority to examine and issue sick leave certificates for social insurance participants in accordance with the Hospital Regulations promulgated by Decision No. 1895/1997/QĐ-BYT dated September 19, 1997 of the Minister of Health.

1. Responsibilities

1.2. Heads of medical facilities and heads of health units attached to agencies (health stations, infirmaries...) located in provinces and cities shall prepare lists and submit signatures of doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners to the provincial Department of Health and social security for registration. Health.

2.1. Provincial-level and central-level medical facilities, hospitals under ministries and sectors, military area hospitals, and military corps hospitals may grant up to a maximum of ten days of sick leave.

2. Authorities

2.2. District health centers, multi-specialty clinics, and infirmaries of armed forces units, and private medical facilities may grant up to a maximum of seven days of sick leave.

After outpatient treatment at district and provincial levels as stipulated in Clauses 2.1 and 2.2 above, if the patient has not recovered, they must undergo re-examination and be granted additional sick leave, but not exceeding ten days in total (including waiting time for laboratory tests, X-rays, etc., to confirm the diagnosis).

2.3. Doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners working at health stations, wards, towns, and units may grant up to a maximum of five days of sick leave.

2.4. The total maximum duration of outpatient sick leave is twenty-seven days (excluding outpatient treatment at commune level).

If the illness persists beyond this period, it must be treated as an inpatient or transferred to a rehabilitation hospital.. 2.5. For infectious diseases where isolation periods are clearly defined (such as viral fever, flu, cholera, etc.), if patients do not develop complications and are treated as outpatients, doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners may issue a single sick leave certificate ranging from one to ten days, depending on the isolation requirements of each disease.

2.6. In cases where workers frequently work in dispersed or mobile conditions due to job requirements, and their units do not have their own healthcare organizations, the units should contact local healthcare authorities to obtain examination and sick leave certification according to regulations.

2.7. Where primary healthcare funds or production teams of construction sites, forestry farms, and agricultural farms are covered by health insurance but lack assigned doctors or medical practitioners, nurses authorized by unit leaders and agreed upon by the grassroots trade union may issue sick leave certificates for workers for up to three days. If the illness persists beyond this period, the patient should be referred to higher-level facilities for examination and resolution.

III. REGULATIONS ON THE ISSUE OF SICK LEAVE CERTIFICATES IN CASES OF BUSINESS TRAVEL AND VACATION

1. In cases where workers fall ill while on business travel, medical facilities at the location of the business trip shall handle them as if they were registered social insurance participants under the responsibility of the medical facility. When traveling to rural areas, if workers fall ill, village health stations may issue sick leave certificates for up to five days.

In cases where workers fall ill after returning from vacation to another locality, village health stations may issue sick leave certificates for up to five days.

2. IV. REGULATIONS ON THE ISSUE OF SICK LEAVE CERTIFICATES

1. Sick leave certificates for social insurance benefits (attached model) shall be printed by the social insurance agency according to a unified model and distributed to the aforementioned medical facilities for doctors, medical practitioners, and traditional medicine practitioners to issue to workers taking time off for medical treatment, serving as grounds for the social insurance agency to process sickness allowances.

All certificates must be filled out in ink, clearly and without erasure.

2. The certificates must be written in ink, clearly, and shall not be erased.

3. The certificate must be fully written in Vietnamese (in cases where the disease name has not been translated, it should be transcribed into Vietnamese) the total number of days off, from day... to the end of day... in figures.

V. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

1. This Circular takes effect from July 1, 1999, and replaces Circular No. 12/LB-TT dated June 3, 1971, issued by the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

2. Provincial Departments of Health, municipal Departments of Health, health sectors, social insurance departments of provinces, and cities shall direct subordinate units to implement the provisions of this Circular. All previous regulations that conflict with the provisions of this Circular are hereby abolished.

3. Provincial Departments of Health and social insurance departments of provinces and cities directly under the Central Government are responsible for organizing inspections of the implementation of these regulations, identifying and handling violations.

During the implementation process, if there are difficulties or obstacles, units and localities need to promptly report them to the Ministry of Health (Treatment Department) and the Vietnam Social Security for research, consideration, and appropriate supplementation or amendment.