Circular No. 43/2025/TT-BYT guides the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Commune Health Stations, Ward Health Stations, and Special Administrative Region Health Stations under provinces and centrally governed cities.

 

CIRCULAR

Guidelines on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Commune Health Stations, Ward Health Stations, and Special Administrative Region Health Stations under provinces and centrally governed cities

Pursuant to the Government Organization Law on February 18, 2025;

Pursuant to the Law on Local Administration Organization dated June 16, 2025;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 190/2025/QH15 dated February 19, 2025 of the National Assembly on handling certain issues related to the restructuring of the state apparatus;

Pursuant to Decree No. 120/2020/NĐ-CP dated October 7, 2020 of the Government on the establishment, restructuring, and dissolution of public service organizations which has been amended and supplemented by Decree No. 283/2025/NĐ-CP dated October 31, 2025 of the Government;

Pursuant to Decree No. 42/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 27, 2025 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

The phrase "or examination" is abolished pursuant to Clause 6, Article 8 of Circular No. 15/2025/TT-BVHTTDL dated November 25, 2025, of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism amending and supplementing certain articles of Circulars prescribing job codes, qualification standards, and salary grades for civil servants in the heritage culture, library, grassroots cultural activities, sports, fine arts, art performance, film, and cultural propaganda sectors, which takes effect from January 15, 2026.

The Minister of Health issues this Circular guiding the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Commune Health Stations, Ward Health Stations, and Special Administrative Region Health Stations under provinces and centrally governed cities.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular guides the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Commune Health Stations, Ward Health Stations, and Special Administrative Region Health Stations under provinces and centrally governed cities (hereinafter referred to collectively as Commune Health Stations).

Article 2. Legal Status

1. Commune Health Stations are public health service organizations directly subordinate to the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special administrative regions under provinces and centrally governed cities (hereinafter referred to collectively as the People's Committee at the commune level).

2. Commune Health Stations have legal personality, separate offices, seals, and bank accounts. Commune Health Stations may open accounts at State Treasury and banks in accordance with the provisions of the law.

3. Commune Health Stations are subject to direct guidance and management by the People's Committee at the commune level regarding organizational structure, human resources, assets, and finance; they are also subject to professional guidance, support, inspection, and supervision by the Department of Health and related units in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Chapter II

FUNCTIONS, TASKS, POWERS

Article 3. Functions

Commune Health Stations have the function of providing and implementing specialized technical services in the fields of disease prevention; medical examination and treatment; community health management and improvement; maternal and child health care; elderly and disabled care; social assistance; population; food safety; pharmaceuticals; medical equipment, and other health services as prescribed by law.

Article 4. Tasks and Powers

1. Regarding disease prevention and community health improvement:

a) Implementing specialized technical activities for infectious disease prevention and control, including HIV/AIDS: monitoring, screening, early detection of cases; vaccination and preventive treatment; implementing measures to prevent and control infectious diseases, handling and mitigating the consequences of outbreaks, and measures to prevent and control risk factors that cause the emergence and spread of diseases in accordance with the provisions of the law;

b) Implementing specialized technical activities for non-communicable disease prevention and control: monitoring and controlling risk factors; monitoring, screening, managing, counseling, following up, and caring for individuals at risk and those suffering from non-communicable diseases in the community; implementing measures to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in accordance with the provisions of the law;

c) Implementing technical guidance activities on community nutrition; school health; monitoring the quality of clean water used for daily purposes; occupational hygiene, prevention, and control of work-related illnesses and injuries in the community in accordance with the provisions of the law;

d) Implementing activities to guide environmental protection, environmental health, and funeral hygiene for cases of death due to dangerous infectious diseases; preventing and controlling the harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and other risk factors detrimental to health in accordance with the provisions of the law;

đ) Managing infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, diseases of unknown origin, and risk factors affecting health.

2. Regarding medical examination and treatment:

a) Providing initial emergency care for critical cases, accidents, and urgent situations occurring within the jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of the law;

b) Performing primary medical examination and treatment and rehabilitation tasks for patients within the scope of professional activities approved by competent authorities and in accordance with the provisions of the law;

c) Conducting family medicine examinations and treatments in accordance with the provisions of the law;

d) Managing, monitoring, dispensing medication, and providing outpatient treatment for chronic disease patients within the jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of the law;

đ) Conducting traditional medicine examinations and treatments, combining traditional medicine with modern medicine; applying, inheriting, and developing herbal remedies and preserving medicinal plants and animals in the locality in accordance with the provisions of the law;

e) Conducting regular health check-ups and screening for diseases and disabilities for residents within the jurisdiction when conditions permit in accordance with the provisions of the law; participating in preliminary military service physical examinations and conducting military and police service physical examinations in accordance with the provisions of the law;

g) Managing and treating drug addiction using substitute medications, treating other drug addictions, and HIV/AIDS treatment in accordance with the provisions of the law;

h) Organizing community-based rehabilitation activities for persons with disabilities and chronic disease patients in accordance with the provisions of the law.

3. Regarding maternal and child health care and reproductive health care:

a) Managing normal pregnancies and deliveries within the scope of professional activities approved by competent authorities;

b) Providing health care and nutrition for mothers, newborns, and children; reproductive health care in accordance with the provisions of the law;

c) Cooperating in implementing tasks related to children's welfare within the jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of the law.

4. Regarding food safety:

a) Implementing activities to prevent food poisoning; cooperating in investigating, tracing, supervising, handling, and mitigating food incidents, food poisoning cases, and foodborne illnesses; monitoring food contamination risks within the jurisdiction in accordance with the provisions of the law;

b) Guiding and supervising food safety for street food vendors; cooperating in guiding and supervising food production and business establishments and catering service businesses within the jurisdiction to ensure food safety in accordance with the provisions of the law.

5. Regarding population:

a) Providing pre-marriage health counseling; prenatal screening counseling; newborn screening counseling; family planning counseling; community infertility prevention measures; and other population services as prescribed by law;

b) Organizing pre-marriage health examinations; prenatal screening; newborn screening; providing family planning services as prescribed by law;

c) Coordinating inter-sectoral activities in implementing population work; maintaining replacement fertility levels; reducing gender imbalance at birth; improving population quality; and elderly healthcare services adapted to population aging on the local area as prescribed by law.

6. Regarding social assistance:

a) Providing social work services: receiving, screening, assessing needs, and supporting the elderly, persons with disabilities, children, victims of trafficking, violence, those with mental disorders or mental illnesses; providing psychological counseling and support; connecting and referring to relevant organizations and institutions as prescribed by law;

b) Managing cases, monitoring, supervising, and intervening in the community; coordinating with organizations, associations, individuals, and social work volunteers in the community to implement social work activities as prescribed by law.

7. Regarding management, supply of medicines, vaccines, chemicals, medical equipment:

a) Implementing the purchase, receipt, supply, management, storage, distribution, and use of medicines, vaccines, chemicals, and medical equipment as prescribed by law;

b) Guiding and implementing safe and rational drug use as prescribed by law.

8. Regarding health communication and education:

a) Promoting and disseminating the Party's policies and State laws on healthcare;

b) Promoting and mobilizing the people to participate in health protection, care, and improvement activities; providing information related to diseases, food safety, population, social assistance, and other information within the healthcare field as prescribed by law.

9. Implementing the establishment and management of individual health records on the local area as prescribed by law.

10. Deploying basic healthcare service packages as prescribed by law.

11. Implementing activities in disaster prevention, mitigation, and emergency healthcare response.

12. Cooperating and providing professional medical support to agencies, units, and organizations on the local area; guiding professional activities for village health workers, neighborhood health groups, village midwives, population volunteers, child protection volunteers, and social work volunteers on the local area.

13. Training and upgrading healthcare personnel:

a) Organizing training and upgrading professional knowledge for staff under its jurisdiction as prescribed by law;

b) Participating in training, workshops, and updating professional knowledge for village health workers, neighborhood health groups, village midwives, population volunteers, and other subjects as prescribed by competent authorities.

14. Participating in projects and programs in the healthcare field as prescribed by competent authorities; implementing military-civilian healthcare integration according to actual conditions and as prescribed by law.

15. Implementing contracts with social insurance agencies to organize social health insurance medical examinations and treatments at commune health stations as prescribed by law on social health insurance.

16. Implementing tasks related to quality management; research and participating in scientific research and technological development; applying science and technology development in professional activities; international cooperation according to actual conditions and as prescribed by law.

17. Implementing statistical systems and reporting; building, compiling, and providing healthcare database information as prescribed by law.

18. Deploying information technology applications, electronic health record management; building, managing, maintaining, and updating databases for digital transformation serving professional activities in the healthcare field as prescribed by law.

19. Implementing the purchase, receipt, supply, management, storage, distribution, and use of goods serving professional activities and regular operations of commune health stations.

20. Managing physical infrastructure, assets, equipment, human resources, finance, and other assigned resources as prescribed by law.

21. Participating in inspections and supervision of the implementation of legal regulations and professional regulations in the healthcare field as prescribed by law.

22. Implementing other tasks and powers assigned by competent authorities as prescribed by law.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES

Article 5. Organizational Structure

1. The leadership of the Commune Health Station includes the Director and Deputy Directors. The number of Deputy Directors shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the law and those of the competent authority. The Director and Deputy Directors of the Commune Health Station shall be appointed, reappointed, extended in office, relieved from duty, resigned, or dismissed from management positions in accordance with the provisions of the law by the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level.

a) Administrative Office or General Affairs Room;

b) Population, Children, Social Welfare Room;

c) Disease Prevention, Food Safety Room;

d) Outpatient and Treatment Room;

đ) Pharmacy, Medical Equipment, Clinical Laboratory Room;

e) Branch stations are subordinate organizations of the Commune Health Station, organized to implement all or part of the functions and tasks of the Commune Health Station to ensure the provision of health services to the people.

3. The Director of the Commune Health Station shall issue the functions, tasks, and working relationships for the organizations under the Commune Health Station.

Article 6. Job Positions, Number of Staff, and Professional Career Structure

1. Based on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Commune Health Station, and the guidance of the competent authority regarding job positions and the professional career structure, the Commune Health Station shall develop a proposal for job positions, submit it to the competent authority for review and approval as the basis for recruitment, utilization, and management of civil servants.

2. The list of job positions of the Commune Health Station shall be determined according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs, in line with the requirements of the unit.

3. The number of staff and the professional career structure by job title of the Commune Health Station shall be determined based on job positions, workload according to the functions, tasks, scope of activities of the Commune Health Station, assigned or approved by the competent authority. Annually, the Commune Health Station shall develop a plan for the number of staff, submit it to the competent authority for consideration and decision in accordance with the provisions of the law.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 7. Effective Date

4. In cases where legal normative documents cited in this Circular are amended, supplemented, or replaced by other legal normative documents, the provisions of those amended, supplemented, or replacing documents shall apply.

2. The following provisions shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect:

a) Circular No. 33/2015/TT-BYT dated October 27, 2015, issued by the Minister of Health guiding the functions and tasks of the Commune Health Station;

b) Section 1 Part 3 of Circular No. 05/2008/TT-BYT dated May 14, 2008, issued by the Minister of Health guiding the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of the population planning family organization at the local level.

Article 8. Transitional Provisions

1. During the period when the reorganization of the Commune Health Stations into public service units has not been completed, based on the actual situation of the locality, the functions, tasks, and powers of the Commune Health Station as stipulated in this Circular and the tasks assigned by law to the Commune Health Station, the Provincial People's Committee shall have the responsibility:

a) To temporarily define the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Commune Health Station within its management authority to ensure the provision of health services to the people in the area in line with the actual human resources, infrastructure, and medical equipment conditions;

b) To assign the direct management unit of the Commune Health Station;

c) To instruct the Provincial Department of Health Director to coordinate and direct the units under its management to support the Commune Health Stations in terms of professional technical expertise and human resources when necessary; to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for assignment of units to sign contracts for outpatient and treatment insurance services for the Commune Health Stations; to ensure sufficient supply of medicines, chemicals, medical equipment, and other necessary conditions to effectively carry out the activities of the Commune Health Station.

Article 9. Responsibility for implementation

1. The People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall direct and organize the implementation of this Circular to ensure that the transformation of Commune Health Stations into public service units directly under the Commune People's Committees is completed no later than December 31, 2030.

2. The People's Committees at the commune level shall decide on the specific functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structures of the Commune Health Stations under their management based on the area size, population scale, nature, characteristics, natural and social conditions, workload, and actual medical human resources of each commune administrative unit.

In the course of implementation, if any issues arise, difficulties, or obstacles, the relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals are requested to promptly report them to the Ministry of Health (through the Cadre and Civil Servant Organization Department) for examination and resolution./.