Circular No. 13/2007/TT-BYT guiding health examinations

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Health Examination

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BASED ON Decree No. 49/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 15, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

BASED ON the Labor Code on June 23, 1994 and the amended and supplemented Labor Code on April 2, 2002;

BASED ON Decree No. 06/CP dated January 20, 1995 of the Government detailing certain Articles of the Labor Code regarding occupational safety and labor hygiene; Decree No. 110/2002/NĐ-CP dated December 27, 2002 of the Government amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 06/CP dated January 20, 1995 of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Labor Code regarding occupational safety and environmental hygiene;

The Ministry of Health guides health examinations as follows:

I. SCOPE OF REGULATION AND APPLICABLE OBJECTS

1. This Circular guides health examinations when preparing application files for recruitment, health examinations upon hiring, regular health examinations, and health examinations upon request.

Thông tư này áp dụng đối với tổ chức, cá nhân có liên quan đến hoạt động kinh doanh đối tượng thủy sản nuôi chủ lực trên lãnh thổ Việt Nam.

This Circular applies to the following entities and individuals:

a) Employers, training institutions, and vocational training centers.

b) Students and trainees preparing application files or studying at national educational institutions and vocational training centers; workers preparing application files to be hired, workers who have been hired, workers currently working at employers, and individuals requiring health examinations (hereinafter referred to collectively as the subjects of health examination).

c) Public and private healthcare facilities meeting the conditions for conducting health examinations under this Circular, participating in health examinations when preparing application files for recruitment, health examinations upon hiring, regular health examinations, and health examinations upon request (hereinafter referred to collectively as healthcare facilities conducting health examinations).

3. This Circular does not apply to outpatient and inpatient examinations in medical facilities; it does not apply to individuals participating in military service recruitment examinations, military education recruitment examinations, police recruitment examinations, police education recruitment examinations, health examinations for Vietnamese workers going abroad, foreign workers working in Vietnam, forensic medical examinations, and forensic psychiatric examinations.

II. DEFINITIONS

1. Health examinations when preparing application files are conducted for students preparing application files to study at national educational institutions and vocational training centers; individuals preparing application files to take driving license exams, and workers preparing application files to be hired at employers.

2. Health examinations upon hiring are conducted for students, trainees, and apprentices who have been admitted to study at national educational institutions and vocational training centers; workers who have been hired to work at employers.

3. Regular health examinations are conducted for students, trainees, apprentices, and workers according to a schedule: once a year or every six months for heavy, hazardous, and dangerous occupations.

4. Health examinations upon request are conducted for individuals who voluntarily wish to check their health status.

III. CONDITIONS FOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES CONDUCTING HEALTH EXAMINATIONS

1. Having specialists in various fields: internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dentistry; having doctors or technicians to perform blood tests, urine tests, and X-rays.

2. Possessing sufficient professional capacity and technical skills to conduct basic tests

- Blood test: Blood cell count, blood sugar level.

- Urine test: Urine glucose, urine protein.

- Chest X-ray.

3. Having adequate infrastructure and equipment as specified in "Basic Infrastructure and Equipment Requirements for Conducting Health Examinations" set forth in Appendix No. 1 attached hereto.

For healthcare facilities that do not meet the equipment requirements specified in Appendix No. 1, they may collaborate (through contractual agreements) with healthcare facilities that meet the infrastructure and equipment requirements in Appendix No. 1 to organize health examinations in accordance with this Circular.

IV. ORGANIZATION OF HEALTH EXAMINATIONS

1. General Provisions

a) Students and trainees preparing application files to study at national educational institutions and vocational training centers, individuals preparing application files to take driving license exams, and workers preparing application files to be hired at employers must undergo health examinations when preparing application files.

b) Students, trainees, and apprentices who have been admitted to study at training institutions and vocational training centers or workers who have been hired to work at employers must undergo health examinations upon hiring. In cases where the health certificate obtained when preparing application files remains valid, there is no need to undergo another health examination upon hiring.

c) Students and trainees currently studying at national educational institutions and vocational training centers or workers currently working at employers must undergo regular health examinations at least once a year. For heavy, hazardous, and dangerous occupations, the frequency of regular health examinations shall be determined according to the specific requirements of those occupations.

d) Healthcare facilities conducting health examinations must base their examinations on the reasons for the health examinations: when preparing application files, upon hiring, regularly, or upon request, and according to the current "Health Standards for Workers, Students, and Trainees" to carry out health examinations.

đ) For occupations and jobs with specific health standards, healthcare facilities conducting health examinations must comply with the regulations of those standards.

e) Health certificates issued when preparing application files, upon hiring, and upon request shall be issued according to the model specified in Appendix No. 2 attached hereto. These certificates must bear the stamp of the healthcare facility conducting the health examination and are valid for twelve months from the date of issuance.

g) Regular health examination records shall be issued according to the model specified in Appendix No. 3 attached hereto (A4 size, one record containing twelve pages) and shall be applied to regular health examinations.

h) The person concluding and signing health certificates and regular health examination records is the head of the healthcare facility or a person authorized by the head of the healthcare facility and must bear responsibility for their conclusions.

i) Fees for health examinations

- For health examinations when preparing application files, upon hiring, and upon request, the fees are paid by the subjects of health examination according to the current hospital fee rates.

- For health examinations when recruiting and periodic health examinations for students, trainees, apprentices, and workers (conducted in groups), the labor-using entity shall pay fees according to the current hospital fee rates. For individual periodic health examinations, the examination fees shall be directly paid by the examinee, while educational institutions and labor-using entities shall settle the examination fees for the examinees.

k) Health examinations are specialized activities that must be recorded, statistically analyzed, and reported as part of the general operations of healthcare facilities.

2. Health Examination Procedures

a) When submitting application documents for recruitment or undergoing health examinations for recruitment purposes, the examinee must submit color photographs measuring 4 x 6 cm (taken within the last six months), with the number of photographs depending on the number of health certificates requested by the examinee.

b) Periodic health examinations

- For group health examinations: Educational institutions and vocational training centers, labor-using entities must present health records. The health record includes a health certificate at the time of recruitment (for the first periodic health examination), a periodic health examination book, and other medical examination results (if any).

- For individual health examinations: The examinee must additionally present a referral letter from the entity requesting the periodic health examination.

c) Health examinations upon request: The examinee must present a National Identity Card or another identity document with a photograph affixed (such as a passport or driver's license). If the examinee does not have a National Identity Card or an identity document, they must provide a color photograph measuring 4 x 6 cm (taken within the last six months) to be attached to the health certificates.

3. Organization of Health Examinations

In two forms:

- Group health examinations: Organizations and units requiring health examinations for recruitment or periodic health examinations for various subjects should contact and sign contracts with healthcare facilities to organize such examinations either at the healthcare facility or at the organization/unit.

- Individual health examinations: The examinee should directly contact the healthcare facility to undergo the examination at the medical institution.

4. Health Examination Process

a) Receiving applications and completing administrative procedures

The examinee is responsible for providing complete, accurate, and truthful personal information, current health status, and family medical history in the examinee’s medical history section (according to the health certificate form).

b) Physical examination

Measuring height, weight, average chest circumference, BMI, pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

c) Comprehensive clinical examination across specialties

d) Ancillary clinical examination

- Mandatory ancillary clinical examination:

+ Blood formula, blood sugar.

+ Urinalysis: total urinalysis (sugar, protein, cells).

+ Chest X-ray (frontal and lateral views). For periodic health examinations, chest X-rays are performed according to the clinical doctor's instructions.

- Other ancillary clinical examinations: The examinee must undergo additional ancillary clinical examinations when instructed by the clinical doctor; or required by educational institutions, vocational training centers, or labor-using entities; or requested by the examinee.

đ) For health examinations upon request, the clinical and ancillary clinical examination contents are carried out according to the examinee's requirements and with the advice of the examining physician.

e) Clinical doctors must classify health status, sign and clearly write their names on the health certificate, periodic health examination book, and bear responsibility for their conclusions. Those recording ancillary clinical results must sign and clearly write their names on the health certificate, periodic health examination book.

g) Based on the results of the clinical and ancillary clinical examinations, the authorized person or the authorized representative signs the health certificate, periodic health examination book, concluding:

- For health examinations when submitting application documents or during recruitment: healthy or suffering from a specific disease (specify the name of the disease); health classification; currently fit or unfit for study or work in a specific profession or job (specify the name of the profession or job if possible).

- For health examinations upon request: currently healthy or suffering from a specific disease (specify the name of the disease), treatment recommendations.

- For periodic health examinations: in addition to concluding healthy or suffering from a specific disease (specify the name of the disease); health classification; currently fit or unfit for study or work in a specific profession or job (specify the name of the profession or job if possible), there are also treatment recommendations, functional recovery, specialty examinations for treatment, occupational disease examinations (if applicable), and requests for labor-using entities to transfer to suitable jobs (if not meeting health standards).

h) Health certificates for application documents are made in two copies or more (depending on the examinee's requirements); health certificates for recruitment and health examinations upon request are made in one copy, stamped by the healthcare facility. The healthcare facility returns the health certificates to the examinee or educational institutions, vocational training centers, and labor-using entities.

The periodic health examination book is returned to the examinee for individual health examinations or to educational institutions, vocational training centers, and labor-using entities for group health examinations.

i) Returning health certificates and periodic health examination books

- For individual health examinations: returned on the same working day.

- For group health examinations: returned within ten working days (or according to the agreement between the healthcare facility and educational institutions, vocational training centers, and labor-using entities).

k) Settling the health examination contract with educational institutions, vocational training centers, and labor-using entities (if applicable).

V. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Educational institutions, vocational training centers, and labor-using entities are responsible for organizing health examinations for recruitment and periodic health examinations for students, trainees, apprentices, and workers as prescribed.

2. Students, trainees, apprentices, and workers are responsible for undergoing health examinations when submitting application documents, during recruitment, and for periodic health examinations.

3. Public and private healthcare facilities that meet the conditions for health examination centers as stipulated in Section III of this Circular shall decide on organizing health examinations when preparing job application files, during recruitment, periodically, and upon request. At the same time, the units must report to the Health Departments of provinces and centrally governed cities (for units under the Health Departments, and private healthcare facilities located within their jurisdiction); Health Ministries and Sectoral Departments (for units under the Ministries and Sectors); and the Ministry of Health - Treatment Department (for units under the Ministry).

4. The Ministry of Health (Treatment Department), Health Departments of provinces and centrally governed cities, Health Ministries and Sectoral Departments are responsible for inspecting the implementation of health examinations at health examination centers in accordance with the relevant regulations.

VI. PROVISIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

During the implementation process, if there are difficulties or obstacles, they should be reported to the Ministry of Health (Treatment Department) for research and resolution./.