In 1997 the Minister of Health signed Decision No. 1895/1997/BYT-QD, promulgating the Regulation on Hospitals. Two years after the Regulation on Hospitals was promulgated, many hospitals have well organized the implementation of the Anti-Infection Regulation and the Regulation on the Work of the Anti-Infection Departments, contributing to raising the quality and effectiveness of the medical examination and treatment. However, many others have met with problems in organizing the implementation of or have not yet strictly implemented the Anti-Infection Regulation, failing to ensure sterility during the care and therapy process.

In order to strengthen the anti-infection work at hospitals and ensure safety for the patients’ health, the Minister of Health hereby instructs:

1. Heads of medical examination and treatment establishments across the country shall have to organize the study and implementation of the Anti-Infection Regulation.

2. Hospitals and institutes furnished with patient beds under the Ministry of Health, and general and specialized hospitals of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to establish their anti-infection departments according to the Regulation on the Work of Anti-Infection Departments prescribed in the Regulation on Hospitals promulgated together with the Health Minister’s Decision No. 1895/1997/BYT-QD of September 19, 1997.

3. The specific tasks of the anti-infection departments shall be assigned by the hospital directors on the basis of the functions and tasks of anti-infection departments specified in the Regulation on the Work of Anti-Infection Departments prescribed in the Regulation on Hospitals.

4. The payroll of the anti-infection departments shall be determined by the hospital directors on the basis of the assigned total payroll of their hospitals.

5. The heads of the anti-infection departments shall have to organize the inspection and supervision of the implementation of the Anti-Infection Regulation in hospitals, synthesize and report to the hospital directors on the results of the implementation of the Regulation and, at the same time, propose solutions to problems arising in the implementation of the Regulation.

Upon receiving this Directive, the directors of the Health Services of the provinces and centrally-run cities, the directors of hospitals and the heads of institutes with patient beds under the Ministry, the directors of the branches’ hospitals, the directors of general and specialized hospitals of the provinces and centrally-run hospitals shall promptly organize its implementation and report the implementation results as well as difficulties and problems (if any) to the Ministry of Health (the Therapy Department) for study and timely settlement.

The director of the Therapy Department shall have to coordinate with the Organization and Personnel Department, the Traditional Medicines Department, the Department for Protection of Mothers and Children and Family Planning, the Legal Department and other concerned departments in organizing the inspection of the implementation of this Directive and report its implementation results to the Minister of Health before December 15, 1999.

Minister of Health
DO NGUYEN PHUONG