Circular No. 29/2008/TT-BLDTBXH on guiding the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination and Treatment Cards for children under six years old who do not have to pay at public healthcare facilities.

CIRCULAR

Regarding guidance on issuing, managing, and using Health Examination Cards for children under six years old without payment at public health facilities

providing medical treatment for children under 6 years old without charge

at public health facilities

_____________

Pursuant to Decree No. 186/2007/NĐ-CP dated December 25, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs;

Pursuant to Decree No. 36/2005/NĐ-CP dated March 17, 2005 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Protection, Care, and Education of Children;.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs hereby provides guidance on issuing, managing, and using Health Examination Cards for children under six years old without payment at public health facilities as follows:

This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

1. The subjects eligible for the State to issue Health Examination Cards for free medical examination and treatment at public health facilities (hereinafter referred to as Health Examination Cards) are children under six years old (less than seventy-two months old as of the date of issuance of the Health Examination Card), who are Vietnamese citizens residing within the territory of Vietnam.

2. Health Examination Cards shall be used for medical examination and treatment at public health facilities. The cards are valid from the date of issuance until the child reaches seventy-two months of age.

3. Children permanently residing in a locality shall be issued Health Examination Cards by the People's Committee of the commune, ward, or town where they reside (hereinafter collectively referred to as the People's Committee of the commune).

4. The People's Committee of the commune shall be responsible for issuing (initially), reissuing, and exchanging Health Examination Cards for children under six years old in accordance with the prescribed criteria and shall report on the implementation as guided in this Circular.

5. Parents or guardians shall be responsible for preserving and maintaining Health Examination Cards; they must not lose, erase, or write on the card; and they may only use the card for medical examination and treatment for children under six years old at public health facilities.

6. For children under six years old who are already benefiting from free medical examination and treatment according to other regulations, they shall be issued and use Health Examination Cards in accordance with the provisions of this Circular.

7. Strictly prohibited are lending, borrowing, making fake Health Examination Cards, or using fake Health Examination Cards for medical examination and treatment. Any person who borrows, makes, or uses fake Health Examination Cards, or takes advantage of free medical examination and treatment for children under six years old to gain illicit benefits shall be subject to disciplinary action, administrative penalties, or criminal prosecution depending on the nature and severity of the violation as provided by law.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1. Procedures for Issuing Health Examination Cards

a. Parents or guardians shall present the birth certificate (original or certified copy) to the People's Committee of the commune where the child resides as the basis for issuing Health Examination Cards for children under six years old.

b. In cases where children have not yet been issued a birth certificate, parents or guardians shall be responsible for registering the birth; the People's Committee of the commune shall be responsible for registering the birth along with issuing the Health Examination Card. In remote areas with difficult travel conditions, judicial officers shall cooperate with social welfare officers to assist the People's Committee of the commune in registering births and issuing Health Examination Cards for children under six years old.

c. In cases where children have not yet been issued Health Examination Cards but need to undergo medical examination and treatment at public health facilities, they must present their birth certificate or birth certificate or a certificate from the People's Committee of the commune as the basis for public health facilities not to charge for medical examination and treatment of children.

d. In cases where children have not yet been issued Health Examination Cards, have not obtained a birth certificate, or do not have a birth certificate, but need to undergo medical examination and treatment at public health facilities, the People's Committee of the commune shall be responsible for confirming the name, date of birth, and place of residence of the child currently residing in the commune as the basis for public health facilities not to charge for medical examination and treatment of children.

e. For children under six years old who are not registered as permanent residents in communes but are living in the commune, in addition to the birth certificate, they must also provide a confirmation letter from the village or residential area management board where they are currently residing as the basis for issuing Health Examination Cards for children.

f. For children undergoing hospital treatment whose Health Examination Cards have expired, they will continue to enjoy free medical examination and treatment until the end of the current treatment period.

2. Reissuing and Exchanging Health Examination Cards

a. In cases where Health Examination Cards are lost, parents or guardians shall request the People's Committee of the commune to reissue Health Examination Cards, stating the reason for loss, the issuing authority, and bearing responsibility for the information provided.

b. In cases where Health Examination Cards are damaged, the information on the card cannot be read, or the current information differs from that on the card, parents or guardians shall request the People's Committee of the commune where they are registered to exchange Health Examination Cards, accompanied by current information and the old card.

c. In cases where children change their place of residence, parents or guardians shall request the People's Committee of the commune where they are moving to exchange Health Examination Cards, clearly indicating the previous address and accompanying the old card.

d. The People's Committee of the commune shall be responsible for receiving citizens' requests and resolving each case individually, compiling a list of children eligible for reissuing and exchanging Health Examination Cards, and sending it to the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs. The Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall verify and confirm the number of the new card matches the original, fill in all necessary information on the Health Examination Card, and transfer it to the People's Committee of the commune for signature and stamping to proceed with reissuing and exchanging Health Examination Cards for children.

e. The deadline for reissuing and exchanging Health Examination Cards shall be no later than twenty days from the date the People's Committee of the commune receives the request.

3. Format of Health Examination Cards and Information Recording

a. Format of Health Examination Cards

Health Examination Cards are rectangular, measuring 10cm x 7cm, made of white hard paper, with a watermark imprint of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

The format of the card and the information recorded on it are detailed in Appendix 1 attached to this Circular.

b. Method of Recording Information on Health Examination Cards in the following order from top to bottom:

- Record the name of the commune, ward, or town in uppercase letters (Example: Commune TÂN TIẾN, CẨM BÌNH, HẢI DƯƠNG).

- The Health Examination Card number has the format LnnnLnnnL, where "L" is a letter from A to Z, and "n" is a digit from 0 to 9. The Health Examination Card number does not contain information but serves solely for accurate identification of an individual in society.

- Record the full name of children in uppercase letters (for example: NGUYỄN VĂN ANH).

- Clearly record the date of birth (for example: day 21 month 5 year 2008).

- Clearly indicate the gender of the child as either male or female.

- Place of permanent residence or current place of residence: Record the complete address of the place where the child resides permanently/lives (For example: Xuân Đại Village (if in rural areas) or house number 73, Hùng Vương Street (if in urban areas)).

- Record the full name of the mother (for example: Nguyễn Thị Minh).

- In cases where the mother's full name is not recorded, record the father's full name; if neither the mother's nor the father's full name is recorded, record the full name of the guardian.

- The card is valid until the date: Record the correct date and month of birth of the child, but the year should be the year of birth plus six (For example: born on May 21, 2008, the card will be valid until May 21, 2014).

4. The process of printing and distributing the Card is as follows

- The People's Committee at the commune level prepares a list of children to be issued (for the first time), reissued, or replaced with a Health Examination Card according to the model attached as Appendix 2 to this Circular. In cases where children replace their Cards due to changes in their place of permanent residence, the name of the commune/district/city where the child moves to must be clearly recorded.

- The People's Committee at the commune level sends the request list for issuance (for the first time), reissuance, or replacement of Cards to the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs. Based on the list submitted by the commune, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for entering the information of children into the computer using specialized software, assigning a unique identifier to each child being issued a Card for the first time. For reissuance cases, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs must find the Card number (unique identifier) in the district database or contact the Provincial Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs to find the Card number in the databases of related districts, ensuring that the Card number entered into the computer matches the original Card number issued to the child. For replacement cases, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs enters the old Card number into the computer without issuing a new Card number.

- After completing all the information entries, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs prints the Cards and transfers them to the People's Committee at the commune level. Upon receiving the printed Cards, the People's Committee at the commune level checks the information on each Card, signs and stamps it, laminates it, distributes the Cards to the children, and records it in the tracking and management log of Health Examination Cards.

5. Reporting on the issuance (for the first time), reissuance, and replacement of Health Examination Cards

a. Monthly, the People's Committee at the commune level prepares a report on the situation of children under six years old who have been issued (for the first time), reissued, or replaced with Health Examination Cards and sends it to the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs according to the reporting form attached as Appendix 3 to this Circular.

b. Quarterly, the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs prepares a report on the situation of the issuance (for the first time), reissuance, and replacement of Health Examination Cards for children under six years old in the district and sends it to the Provincial Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs for consolidation and reporting to the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs according to the reporting form attached as Appendix 3 to this Circular.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs is responsible for organizing the printing of Health Examination Card blanks to ensure uniformity in content and form, transferring them to the Provincial Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs; guiding the Provincial Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs in using the management software for Health Examination Cards; coordinating with relevant departments to inspect and supervise the issuance and use of Health Examination Cards for children under six years old at public health facilities; monitoring and consolidating the implementation of the issuance and use of Health Examination Cards nationwide.

2. The People's Committees at all levels are responsible for directing the implementation of the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination Cards for children under six years old at public health facilities in their localities. The People's Committee at the commune level is responsible for signing and distributing Health Examination Cards to children.

3. The Provincial Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs are responsible for advising the People's Committees of provinces on directing and implementing the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination Cards; guiding the Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs in implementing the issuance and management of Health Examination Cards; coordinating with relevant departments to monitor the issuance and use of Health Examination Cards; reporting the situation of the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination Cards in their localities to the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs.

4. The Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs are responsible for advising the People's Committees of districts on directing and implementing the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination Cards; printing the information about children onto the Health Examination Card blanks based on the lists submitted by the People's Committees at the commune level and transferring the Health Examination Cards back to the People's Committees at the commune level for signing and distribution; monitoring, consolidating, and reporting the situation of the issuance and management of Health Examination Cards for children under six years old in their district/county/city.

5. This Circular takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

6. This Circular replaces Circular No. 02/2005/TT-DSGĐTE dated June 10, 2005, regarding guidance on the issuance, management, and use of Health Examination Cards for children under six years old who do not pay for medical services at public health facilities.

During the implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, please reflect them to the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs for consideration and resolution./.