Decree No. 75/2017/ND-CP on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health

DECREE

Regulations on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health

WHEREAS Pursuant to the Law on Thrift and Combating Wastefulness dated November 26, 2013;

Pursuant to Decree No. 123/2016/NĐ-CP dated September 1, 2016 of the Government stipulating the functions; tasks, powers, and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

At the proposal of the Minister of Health;

The Government promulgates this Decree to regulate the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health.

Article 1. Position and Functions

The Ministry of Health is an agency of the Government, performing the function of state management in the field of health, including areas such as preventive healthcare; diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation; medical and forensic examination, forensic psychiatry; traditional medicine and pharmacy; reproductive health; medical equipment; pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; food safety; health insurance; population; state management of public services within the scope of the Ministry's state management.

b) Draft five-year and annual socio-economic development plans for the province; major economic and social balances for the province; draft five-year and annual plans, programs, projects, measures to organize and implement tasks related to socio-economic development, finance-budget, planning-investment, and other tasks within the scope of state management of the Department of Finance as prescribed by law;

The Ministry of Health performs the tasks and powers as prescribed in Decree No. 123/2016/NĐ-CP dated September 1, 2016 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, and the following specific tasks and powers:

1. Submit to the Government draft laws, draft resolutions of the National Assembly, draft ordinances, draft resolutions of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, draft decrees of the Government according to the annual legislative program of the Ministry approved and other projects and programs assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister; submit to the Government and the Prime Minister strategies, plans, and long-term, medium-term, and annual development programs, and important national programs, projects, and works in the fields of health and population under the Ministry's state management.

2. Submit to the Prime Minister draft decisions, directives, and other documents concerning industries and sectors under the Ministry's state management or as assigned.

3. Issue circulars, decisions, directives, and other documents concerning state management of industries and sectors under the Ministry's state management.

4. Direct, guide, and organize the implementation of normative legal documents, strategies, plans, national target programs, and important national programs and projects after approval; disseminate information, promote, educate, and monitor the enforcement of laws in the fields under the Ministry's state management.

5. On preventive healthcare:

a) Develop and issue, or submit to competent authorities for issuance, normative legal documents, specialized regulations, and national standards and technical regulations in the areas of: disease surveillance, prevention, and control, including HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, occupational diseases, and accidents; vaccination; biological safety in medical laboratories; border health quarantine; environmental health, occupational hygiene, school health; water quality for drinking and domestic use; community nutrition; tobacco; chemicals and insecticides, bactericides used in household and medical settings;

b) Issue, amend, and supplement lists of communicable diseases categorized by groups, lists of communicable diseases that must use vaccines and medical products, and organize the implementation of vaccination and medical product administration for mandatory subjects as prescribed by law;

c) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to issue, amend, and supplement health standards for each type of occupation and work, lists of diseases requiring prolonged treatment and entitled to sick leave benefits, and lists of occupational diseases entitled to occupational disease benefits in Vietnam;

d) Organize the implementation of surveillance of communicable and non-communicable diseases, diseases of unknown origin, risk factors affecting health, and other public health issues; early detection of communicable diseases causing epidemics and organization of epidemic declaration and termination according to law; take the lead and coordinate with related agencies to provide accurate and timely information about communicable diseases;

đ) Submit to competent authorities for decision-making or decide within their authority on the organization and implementation of special measures to prevent and control epidemics; inspect, supervise, and support units and localities in organizing and implementing epidemic prevention and control measures; develop and implement emergency response plans for public health situations;

e) Organize the implementation of border health quarantine activities at ports of entry; promptly report information on dangerous communicable diseases and public health issues worldwide to proactively prevent and control them;

g) Direct and guide the assessment of health impact reports for industrial park, urban area, concentrated residential area, and infectious disease hospital construction projects;

h) Manage, guide, and organize the implementation of workplace environmental monitoring activities; direct high-risk industrial parks and industrial clusters for occupational disease monitoring; assess, control, and manage harmful factors in workplaces; build databases on workplace environmental monitoring activities, and announce organizations qualified to conduct workplace environmental monitoring and those whose operations have been suspended according to law;

i) Guide, within their authority, labor hygiene management, worker health examinations, occupational disease detection, and workplace health management; take the lead in managing the issuance of certificates for specialized medical labor training and first aid training according to law;

k) Direct and guide the implementation of primary health care activities for the community;

l) Review, issue new, reissue, and revoke Certificates of Medical Laboratory Facilities Meeting Biosafety Standards Levels III and IV, except for facilities under the purview of the Ministry of Defense.

m) Issuing, reissuing, supplementing, extending, suspending, revoking registration numbers for circulation, import permits, certificates of free circulation for chemicals, insecticides, bactericides used in household and medical fields; issuing receipt forms for the submission of inspection implementation qualification declaration files, chemical testing, insecticide, and bactericide testing in the household and medical fields; issuing certificates confirming the content of advertising files for chemicals, insecticides, and bactericides used in the household and medical fields in accordance with the provisions of the law;

n) Organizing the implementation or delegating authority to issue, adjust, revoke certificates of qualification and suspend activities of confirmatory HIV testing at facilities conducting HIV tests;

o) Designating certification organizations for compliance with tobacco products; issuing, suspending, revoking, and reissuing certificates of acceptance of conformity declarations for tobacco products;

p) Managing and guiding the implementation of treatment activities for drug addiction and smoking cessation throughout the country;

q) Directing, guiding, inspecting, supervising the implementation of professional regulations and national technical standards in the field of preventive health care throughout the country;

r) Directing, guiding the implementation and inspecting, monitoring, evaluating the implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities throughout the country.

6. On medical examination, treatment, and rehabilitation:

a) Building and promulgating by authority or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation legal normative documents, professional regulations, national standards, national technical standards, economic-technical norms on the fields of medical examination, treatment, blood safety, nursing, rehabilitation, clinical nutrition, plastic surgery, medical appraisal, forensic medical appraisal, forensic psychiatric appraisal in accordance with the provisions of the law;

b) Reviewing and approving medical facilities to apply new techniques and methods for the first time applied in Vietnam according to the provisions of the law;

c) Taking the lead and coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to manage state prices for medical services according to the provisions of the law;

d) Uniformly managing the issuance, reissuance, revocation of practice certificates and operating licenses in the field of medical examination and treatment; organizing the implementation of the issuance, reissuance, and revocation of practice certificates for medical examination and treatment for personnel working at medical facilities under the Ministry of Health, personnel working at medical facilities under other ministries (except those under the Ministry of National Defense), foreign nationals practicing medical examination and treatment in Vietnam; issuing, reissuing, adjusting, and revoking operating licenses for medical facilities under the Ministry of Health, private hospitals, or hospitals under other ministries (except those under the Ministry of National Defense) according to the provisions of the law;

e) Issuing certificates confirming the content of advertising files for medical examination and treatment activities within its jurisdiction according to the provisions of the law;

f) Directing, guiding, inspecting, supervising the implementation of legal normative documents, professional regulations, national technical standards in the fields of medical examination and treatment, rehabilitation, plastic surgery, medical appraisal, forensic medical appraisal, forensic psychiatric appraisal;

7. On traditional medicine:

a) Building and submitting to competent authorities for promulgation mechanisms and policies for the inheritance, preservation, development, modernization of traditional medicine and the integration of traditional medicine with modern medicine;

b) Building and promulgating or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation legal normative documents, technical professional regulations, standards, national technical standards in the field of traditional medicine;

c) Issuing, reissuing practice certificates for medical examination and treatment using traditional medicine; issuing, reissuing, adjusting, and revoking certificates of traditional prescription and operating licenses for medical facilities providing medical examination and treatment using traditional medicine according to the provisions of the law;

d) Issuing certificates confirming the content of advertising files for medical examination and treatment using traditional medicine according to the provisions of the law;

e) Directing, guiding, inspecting, supervising the implementation of mechanisms and policies, legal normative documents, professional regulations, national technical standards in the fields of traditional medicine, the integration of traditional medicine with modern medicine;

8. On medical equipment and healthcare infrastructure:

a) Building and submitting to competent authorities for publication of national standards on medical equipment. Issuing professional regulations, national technical standards on medical equipment;

b) Issuing a list of essential medical equipment for units and medical facilities;

c) Issuing new, reissuing, extending, suspending, revoking registration numbers for medical equipment, certificates of free circulation for domestically produced medical equipment, import permits for medical equipment; issuing certificates confirming the content of advertising files for medical equipment; issuing receipt forms for the submission of declaration files for classification qualifications and service consulting, testing, calibration of medical equipment within the scope of management according to the provisions of the law;

d) Leading and coordinating with relevant agencies to direct, guide, inspect, supervise the implementation of legal regulations on the production, business, classification, technical consultation, testing, calibration, and management, use of medical equipment;

e) Leading and coordinating with relevant agencies to build and promulgate technical standards and design standards - sample designs for healthcare facilities; design standards for specialized departments in healthcare facilities;

9. Regarding pharmaceuticals and cosmetics:

a) Building and promulgating or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation legal normative documents, professional regulations, national technical standards on pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; national standards on drugs; promulgating the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia and the Vietnamese National Drug Formulary;

b) Issuing, reissuing, amending the content, and revoking the practice certificate for pharmacists through examination; certificates of eligibility to operate pharmaceutical businesses for production facilities of medicines and raw materials for medicines, export and import facilities of medicines and raw materials for medicines, service facilities for storing medicines and raw materials for medicines, testing service facilities for medicines and raw materials for medicines, clinical trial service facilities for medicines, biological equivalence testing service facilities for medicines; issuing, extending, changing, supplementing, and revoking registration certificates for circulating medicines and raw materials for medicines, export permits and import permits for medicines and raw materials for medicines, certificates of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for medicines and raw materials for medicines, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) for testing medicines and raw materials for medicines, Good Storage Practices (GSP) for medicines and raw materials for medicines in accordance with the provisions of the law; issuing and revoking certificates of declaration files for business organizations operating pharmacy chains under Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP).

c) Issuing and revoking certificates of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices for cosmetics (CGMP); assigning registration numbers for cosmetic product declaration forms; accepting and confirming declaration file contents for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and harvesting practices for medicinal plants and issuing certificates of drug products for units dealing in drugs and cosmetics in accordance with the provisions of the law.

d) Managing the quality of medicines, raw materials for medicines, and cosmetics; deciding on suspending circulation and recalling medicines, raw materials for medicines, and cosmetics in accordance with the provisions of the law; coordinating with relevant agencies to prevent and combat acts of producing, circulating counterfeit and substandard medicines, raw materials for medicines, and cosmetics, and preventing and combating smuggling of medicines, raw materials for medicines, and cosmetics.

đ) Organizing the drug information system and adverse drug reaction monitoring system; issuing certificates confirming the content of drug advertising files.

e) Taking the lead and coordinating with the Ministry of Finance and other ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and provincial People's Committees to implement drug price management in accordance with the provisions of the law; organizing centralized national procurement of drugs and leading negotiations on drug prices in accordance with the provisions of the law.

g) Directing, guiding, organizing implementation, and supervising the rational, safe, and effective use of drugs.

h) Directing, guiding the organization of implementation, inspecting, auditing, and supervising the enforcement of laws and regulations in the fields of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

10. Regarding food safety:

a) Taking the lead in drafting, promulgating, or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation normative legal documents on food safety within the scope of management assigned to the Ministry of Health.

b) Taking the lead in drafting and promulgating national technical standards or regulations on criteria and safety limits for all food products, micronutrient supplements, food additives, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food in accordance with the provisions of the law.

c) Drafting and submitting to competent authorities for promulgation regulations on general conditions ensuring food safety for food production and trading establishments and specific regulations on conditions ensuring food safety for functional food production and trading establishments, fortified food production and trading establishments, natural mineral water bottling plants, bottled drinking water plants, instant ice factories, micronutrient supplements, food additives, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food, collective dining facilities, hotel restaurants, resort restaurants, catering service establishments, and street food vendors.

d) Designating conformity certification organizations for food products, food additives, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food which have been issued national technical standards based on consultations from relevant ministries and sectors when necessary.

đ) Taking the lead in organizing the dissemination, popularization of knowledge, and legal education on food safety.

e) Taking the lead in organizing the supervision, risk assessment, prevention, investigation, and coordination to prevent and control food poisoning and address food safety incidents within the scope of the ministry’s management.

g) Managing food safety throughout the production, preliminary processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, export, import, and trading processes for functional foods, fortified foods (excluding wheat flour, vegetable oils, and iodized salt), bottled drinking water, natural mineral water, food additives, micronutrient supplements, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food in accordance with the provisions of the law.

h) Issuing, suspending, revoking, and reissuing certificates of acceptance for conformity declarations and certificates of compliance with food safety regulations for imported processed food products, functional foods, micronutrient supplements, food additives, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food.

i) Issuing, suspending, revoking, and reissuing certificates confirming the content of advertising files for functional foods, fortified foods (excluding wheat flour, vegetable oils, and iodized salt), bottled drinking water, natural mineral water, micronutrient supplements, food additives, food processing aids, equipment, and materials that come into direct contact with food, and food products within the scope of the ministry’s management.

k) Issuing and revoking certificates of food safety compliance for production and trading establishments of products within the scope of the ministry’s management, certificates of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for health protection foods, and certificates of food safety knowledge for owners and direct producers and traders of food products within the scope of the ministry’s management in accordance with the provisions of the law; taking the lead in managing food safety for production establishments of multiple types of food products under the jurisdiction of two or more ministries, including food products under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health.

l) Issuing certificates of free circulation, certificates of origin for: Health foods, nutrient-enriched foods (excluding wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt enriched with nutrients), bottled water, natural mineral water, nutritional supplements, food additives, food processing aids, packaging materials and containers that come into direct contact with food, and other food products under the management of the Ministry when organizations or individuals request such certificates;

m) Issuing health certificates and other certificates for exported food products when organizations or individuals request them in accordance with the provisions of the law;

n) Specifying conditions for testing facilities, designating units to participate in food testing services for state management under the Ministry's jurisdiction; designating units to conduct verification testing, arbitration testing, and issue final conclusions when there are discrepancies in testing results from different food testing units within and outside the healthcare sector; issuing, suspending, and revoking registration certificates for rapid test kits for food safety indicators;

o) Designating state inspection agencies for imported food safety for products under the Ministry's jurisdiction;

p) Directing, guiding the implementation, inspecting, auditing, and supervising the implementation of laws and regulations on food safety under the Ministry's state management;

q) Compiling, statistically analyzing, and periodically reporting on food safety management based on monitoring and compiling reports from relevant ministries and localities;

11. Regarding population and reproductive health:

a) Drafting policies on reproductive health and population, including: Population size, population structure, and population quality, for approval by competent authorities;

b) Drafting, promulgating, or submitting to competent authorities for promulgation legal normative documents and national standards on population, family planning, and reproductive health; establishing and promulgating systems of indicators and measures on population and reproductive health; specifying professional standards and national technical regulations on reproductive health care services, population services, and family planning services;

c) Deciding to permit the provision of counseling services by organizations practicing counseling services on population, family planning according to the law;

d) Reviewing and deciding to recognize medical facilities authorized to perform in vitro fertilization techniques and surrogacy for humanitarian purposes; deciding to permit medical facilities to perform gender reassignment procedures according to the law;

đ) Directing, guiding the implementation and supervising the enforcement of legal normative documents, professional standards, national technical regulations, policies, programs, and projects related to population, family planning, and reproductive health care;

12. Regarding health insurance:

a) Develop and issue or submit to competent authorities for issuance legal regulatory documents, mechanisms, and policies on health insurance.

b) Leading and coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to issue lists and ratios, payment conditions for medicines, chemicals, medical supplies, and medical technology services within the scope of health insurance benefits;

c) Issue basic packages of medical services covered by the health insurance fund.

d) Issuing professional technical regulations, procedures for cross-line medical examinations and treatments related to health insurance medical examinations and treatments;

đ) Chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to issue unified prices for health insurance examination and treatment services across hospitals of the same level nationwide.

e) Develop and submit to competent authorities for issuance solutions to ensure balance in the health insurance fund.

g) Direct, guide the organization of implementation, and inspect medical facilities, organizations, and individuals in their enforcement of laws on health insurance.

13. Regarding environmental protection in healthcare activities:

a) Leading and coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to draft and submit to competent authorities for promulgation legal normative documents on environmental protection in healthcare activities and hygiene in the preservation, refrigeration, embalming, cremation, transportation of corpses, and remains according to the law;

b) Organizing reviews of strategic environmental impact assessments for strategies and plans under the Ministry's approval authority; reviewing environmental impact assessment reports and detailed environmental protection project proposals for investment projects under the Ministry's decision-making authority according to the law;

c) Directing and guiding the implementation of monitoring the impacts on the environment from healthcare activities, classification, storage, and management of medical waste within healthcare facilities, statistics on sources of pollution, evaluation of pollution levels, and treatment of medical waste from hospitals and healthcare facilities according to the law;

d) Directing and guiding the implementation of measures to protect human health from the effects of climate change, environmental pollution, and adverse environmental factors;

đ) Directing and guiding the implementation and supervising the enforcement of laws on environmental protection in healthcare activities, management of medical waste within healthcare facilities, and hygiene in the preservation, refrigeration, embalming, cremation, transportation of corpses, and remains according to the law;

14. On the management of specialized health, pharmaceutical, and population staff:

a) Develop, issue, amend, and supplement job title standards for specialized health, pharmaceutical, and population staff after reaching consensus with the Ministry of Home Affairs;

b) Guiding the implementation of job position determination, number of employees, and cadre structure by occupational titles in public health service units;

c) Leading and coordinating with relevant agencies to draft, amend, supplement, and promulgate specific regulations on criteria, conditions, content, form of examination or evaluation for promotion of occupational titles for health, pharmaceutical, and population cadres; organizing examinations and evaluations for promotion of occupational titles for health, pharmaceutical, and population cadres according to the law;

d) Take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to develop and submit to competent authorities for issuance and amendment of policies and benefits for specialized health, pharmaceutical, and population staff;

đ) Specifying details on content, program, form, and duration of training for health, pharmaceutical, and population cadres according to occupational title standards and guiding and organizing their implementation;

15. On the training of healthcare personnel:

a) Drafting and promulgating legal normative documents, training plans, and special mechanisms and policies in training for the healthcare sector within its authority or submitting them for approval by competent authorities; guiding the implementation thereof;

b) Establishing and promulgating occupational competency standards for healthcare personnel as a basis for developing and improving the output standards of healthcare personnel training programs; coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to develop output standards for each healthcare profession and training level.

c) Develop and promulish quality assurance conditions and exit standards for specialized medical training (excluding higher education training levels) and continuous health workforce training.

d) Manage specialized healthcare training and continuous training for healthcare personnel in accordance with the law;

d) Manage healthcare training institutions in accordance with the provisions of the law.

e) Guide, inspect, and evaluate, within the scope of authority, the implementation of legal provisions in healthcare workforce training.

g) Specify and guide the organization of examinations to grant practice licenses in the field of healthcare in accordance with the provisions of the law.

16. On science and technology in the healthcare sector:

a) Develop and submit to competent authorities for issuance legal normative documents, mechanisms, policies, strategies, research science plans, technological development and transfer in fields under the Ministry of Health's management.

b) Manage, guide, and organize the implementation of human biological research;

c) Guide, inspect, and supervise the implementation of legal provisions in organizing scientific and technological tasks; technology transfer and dissemination and application of scientific research results and technological development in fields under the Ministry of Health's management; approve and sign contracts for implementing ministry-level scientific and technological tasks.

d) Implement laws on intellectual property rights and innovative activities under the Ministry of Health's administrative management;

d) Manage the development and promulgation of national technical standards in the healthcare sector in accordance with the provisions of the law; guide and monitor the dissemination and application of national standards and national technical standards in the healthcare sector.

e) Implement agreements on technical barriers to trade (TBT) in the healthcare sector;

17. On information technology:

a) Develop strategies, planning, and plans for the application and development of information technology in the healthcare sector and organize their implementation.

b) Develop and promulish technical standards on the application and development of information technology in the healthcare sector.

c) Develop, promulish, and organize the implementation of regulations on electronic health activities and ensure information security in the healthcare sector on online platforms.

d) Develop and promulish regulations on the application of information technology, common directory codes in managing outpatient and inpatient care, appraisal, and insurance payment for healthcare services.

đ) Direct, guide, and organize the application of information technology in the healthcare sector nationwide.

18. Develop programs and plans and direct, guide the organization of implementation, inspection, and supervision of health communication, health education work, and provision of information on healthcare activities.

19. Administer state management of public services in sectors and fields under the Ministry's jurisdiction in accordance with the law; develop and submit to competent authorities for issuance or issue within the scope of authority mechanisms and policies on the supply of public services in the healthcare sector; promulish economic and technical norms applicable in healthcare service sectors managed by the State; specify quality criteria and standards for healthcare public services; monitoring, evaluation, and certification mechanisms for the quality of healthcare public services and the effectiveness of operations of public healthcare service units.

20. Take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to provide emergency rescue and treatment for victims in natural disasters and catastrophes.

21. Develop plans and organize the implementation of national reserves of medicines, chemicals, medical equipment, and epidemic prevention and disaster relief materials according to the national reserve list decided by the Government and in accordance with the provisions of the law.

22. Administer non-governmental organizations and associations operating in fields under the Ministry's jurisdiction in accordance with the law.

23. Develop and direct the implementation of the Ministry of Health's administrative reform plan according to the goals and content of the Government's overall administrative reform program;

24. Administer organizational structure, staffing; civil servants, public officials, and employees; implement salary systems and incentive, reward, and disciplinary policies for civil servants, public officials, and employees under the Ministry's jurisdiction in accordance with the law.

25. Implement international cooperation in fields under the Ministry's jurisdiction in accordance with the law.

26. Manage finances and assets allocated and organize the implementation of the budget allocated in accordance with the provisions of the law;

27. Inspect and check the implementation of legal provisions and resolve complaints, accusations, and recommendations related to fields under the Ministry's administrative jurisdiction; implement anti-corruption measures and handle violations of the law in fields under the Ministry's jurisdiction in accordance with the law.

28. Develop and promulish statistical indicators and reporting systems for the healthcare sector in accordance with the law; organize data collection, synthesis, analysis, management, and storage of healthcare statistics; build a healthcare database.

29. Perform other tasks and powers assigned by the Government and Prime Minister and as stipulated by the law.

Article 3. Organizational Structure

1. Department of Communication and Commendation.

3. Department of Cadre and Civil Service Management;

3. Department of Medical Equipment and Construction.

4. Department of Health Insurance.

5. The Planning and Finance Division;

6. Organization and Cadre Department.

7. Department of International Cooperation.

8. Legal Affairs Department.

9. Office of the Ministry;

10. Inspectorate of the Ministry;

11. Preventive Medicine Bureau.

12. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Bureau.

13. Food Safety Bureau.

14. Environmental Health Management Bureau.

15. Science, Technology, and Training Bureau.

16. Bureau of Medical Examination and Treatment Management.

17. Bureau of Traditional Medicine Management.

18. Bureau of Pharmaceutical Management.

19. Information Technology Agency.

20. National Population Agency.

21. Institute of Health Strategy and Policy.

22. Health and Life Newspaper.

23. Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The organizations specified from Clause 1 to Clause 20 of this Article are organizations assisting the Minister in performing state management functions; the organizations specified from Clause 21 to Clause 23 of this Article are subordinate public service units serving the state management functions of the Ministry of Health.

The Department of Planning and Finance has five divisions; the Preventive Medicine Bureau has four divisions and a Bureau Office; the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Bureau has three divisions and a Bureau Office; the Food Safety Bureau has five divisions and a Bureau Office; the Environmental Health Management Bureau has three divisions and a Bureau Office; the Science, Technology, and Training Bureau has two divisions and a Bureau Office; the Bureau of Medical Examination and Treatment Management has five divisions and a Bureau Office; the Bureau of Traditional Medicine Management has three divisions and a Bureau Office; the Bureau of Pharmaceutical Management has six divisions and a Bureau Office; the Information Technology Bureau has two divisions and a Bureau Office; the Ministry Office has seven divisions; the Ministry Inspectorate has five divisions.

The Minister of Health submits to the Prime Minister for approval the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the National Population Agency; promulishes the list of other subordinate public service units of the Ministry of Health.

The Minister of Health specifies the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the organizations under the Ministry, except for the National Population Agency.

Article 4. Effective date

This Decree takes effect from the date of issuance.

This Decree replaces Government Decree No. 63/2012/NĐ-CP dated August 31, 2012, stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health.

The General Department of Population and Family Planning continues to perform its functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure according to current regulations until the Prime Minister decides on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the General Department of Population.

Article 5. Responsibilities for Implementation

Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government agencies, Chairpersons of provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees are responsible for implementing this Decree./.