Directive No. 25/1999/CT-TTg on Promoting Traditional Medicine Activities.

DIRECTIVE

On Promoting Traditional Medicine Work

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In recent years, the health sector, along with relevant sectors, provincial people's committees, and related social organizations, has consistently implemented the correct viewpoints, policies, and guidelines of the Party and Government regarding traditional medicine work (TMW) and has achieved certain accomplishments in terms of inheritance, training of personnel, scientific research, disease prevention, treatment, drug production, cultivation of medicinal herbs, etc., making significant contributions to the cause of caring for and protecting people's health, building the national healthcare system, and enhancing the position of Vietnam's TMW in the world.

However, there are still many shortcomings and issues in TMW. The coordination between ministries, sectors, and localities is not yet synchronized and tight, thus the traditional medicine organizational system from central to grassroots levels has been slow to be consolidated, completed, and developed. Training of specialized personnel in TMW and combining TMW with modern medicine, investigation, summarization, and scientific research, treatment, and production of traditional drugs have not been adequately invested and modernized. Legal documents on TMW have been slow to be revised, supplemented, and perfected. Some cadres at various levels and sectors and social organizations have not truly paid sufficient attention to fully implementing TMW. Socialization and the use of TMW in primary healthcare in communities have not been strongly promoted. Management of private practice in TMW remains loose.

Practical experience shows that our country's TMW is very rich and diverse, valuable in many aspects that we need to inherit and develop.

To address these issues and effectively implement the contents of TMW recorded in Resolution No. 4 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Seventh Congress on "Urgent Issues in the Cause of Caring for and Protecting People's Health," Resolutions of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam's Eighth Congress, and Resolution No. 37/CP dated June 20, 1996 of the Government on "Strategic Orientation for the Care and Protection of People's Health in the Period 1996-2000 and National Policy on Medicines in Vietnam," the development of TMW needs to focus on the following basic contents: promoting the inheritance and widespread dissemination of traditional prescriptions and treatment methods; improving the level of scientific research, modernizing traditional medicine, combining traditional and modern medicine; developing traditional medicinal materials and pharmaceuticals; strengthening management of traditional medical and pharmaceutical practice, enhancing the inheritance and training of TMW personnel.

To fulfill these tasks, the Prime Minister requests ministries, sectors, provincial people's committees, and centrally-administered city people's committees to promptly carry out the following tasks:

1. The Ministry of Health shall direct relevant agencies to establish goals, contents, and programs for training traditional medical personnel at all educational levels according to state regulations on training; mobilize all domestic and foreign resources to participate in training traditional medical personnel, improve the professional qualifications of the traditional medical personnel team, combine traditional medical training with modern medical training.

2. Annually, the Ministry of Health shall allocate a reasonable proportion of the health budget for activities of diagnosing and treating diseases using TMW.

3. The Ministry of Health shall take the lead and coordinate with the Government's Organizational and Cadre Department:

- Studying and gradually consolidating, completing, and developing traditional medicine facilities from central to grassroots levels, in line with the country's development situation.

- Studying, drafting, and submitting to the Prime Minister for approval proposals on managing TMW, directing provincial health departments to arrange dedicated staff to oversee and guide TMW.

- Establishing traditional medicine departments or beds for traditional medicine treatment at hospitals and modern medical institutes.

4. The Ministry of Health shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment, the Ministry of Finance, and other relevant ministries and sectors to study and draft legal documents on mechanisms and policies in the field of TMW; revise and supplement some policies to encourage practitioners of TMW to contribute valuable prescriptions and experiences, especially those related to disease prevention and treatment through TMW of ethnic minorities; draft plans for developing TMW to be issued or submitted to the Government for issuance.

Study and promulgate awards and honorary titles for those who have made significant contributions to TMW within their authority or propose to the State for issuance.

5. The Ministry of Health shall coordinate with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment to organize scientific research on TMW.

6. The Ministry of Health shall closely coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors in expanding relations in research, training, treatment, drug and equipment production in the field of TMW with other countries, particularly those in the region with developed TMW.

7. The Ministry of Trade shall cooperate with the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the General Department of Customs and other relevant ministries and sectors to strictly and reasonably manage the import and export of medicinal herbs and traditional drug products.

8. The Ministry of Education and Training shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health to guide schools to plant some medicinal plants in school botanical gardens, especially those commonly found locally, and instruct students on their usage and introduce the tradition of TMW.

9. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall coordinate with the Ministry of Health and localities to study and build plans to protect, regenerate, and organize the cultivation of medicinal herbs, particularly the domestication and development of rare medicinal herbs that have been introduced, while planning centralized cultivation of medicinal herbs with high demand and economic value; create and maintain sources of medicinal plants and cultivate locally available medicinal plants to serve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases for the people.

10. Provincial and centrally-administered city people's committees and local health sectors shall be responsible for guiding the development of TMW in their areas, creating favorable conditions and supporting traditional medicine associations and acupuncture associations in their operations and development, and contributing positively to the cause of caring for and protecting people's health. Encourage commune, ward, and town health stations to use traditional medicine for diagnosing and treating diseases for the people.

At all levels, the People's Committees shall direct relevant departments and sectors to cooperate with social organizations and occupational associations at the local level to promote propaganda, education, and mobilize the people to revive the movement of growing and using family medicinal plants and simple traditional medicine methods without medication for preventing and treating common illnesses in the community. Strengthen socialization and expand traditional medicine healthcare services to mobilize all traditional medicine forces to serve the cause of caring for and protecting people's health. The planting of family medicinal plants should be linked to the development of household economies, environmental improvement, and poverty reduction campaigns.

11. The Ministry of Health shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to regularly inspect and supervise the implementation of state regulations and professional rules in medical examination and treatment facilities and traditional medicine production and business establishments to continuously improve service quality for the people.

The Prime Minister requests that the Ministers of Ministries, Heads of ministerial-level agencies and agencies under the Government, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees, and municipal People's Committees directly under the Central Government promptly organize and implement this Directive.

Assign the Ministry of Health to take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to guide the implementation of this Directive.

In October each year, the Ministry of Health shall compile and report to the Prime Minister on the implementation status and propose measures to continue implementing this Directive.