Thông tư 20/2025/TT-BYT hướng dẫn chức năng, nhiệm vụ, quyền hạn của cơ quan chuyên môn về y tế thuộc Ủy ban nhân dân tỉnh, thành phố trực thuộc Trung ương và Ủy ban nhân dân xã, phường, đặc khu thuộc tỉnh, thành phố trực thuộc Trung ương do Bộ trưởng Bộ Y tế ban hành

CIRCULAR

PROVIDING GUIDANCE ON FUNCTIONS, TASKS, POWERS OF SPECIALIZED HEALTH AGENCIES AFFILIATED TO PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES OF PROVINCES AND CENTRAL-AFFILIATED CITIES AND PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES OF COMMUNES, WARDS AND SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS OF PROVINCES AND CENTRAL-AFFILIATED CITIES

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization in 2025;

Pursuant to the Resolution No. 190/2025/QH15 dated February 19, 2025 of the National Assembly dealing with certain issues concerning arrangement and organization of the state apparatus;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 42/2025/ND-CP dated February 27, 2025 defining functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 150/2025/ND-CP dated June 12, 2025 prescribing organization of specialized agencies affiliated to People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities and People’s Committees of communes, wards and special administrative regions of provinces and central-affiliated cities;

Pursuant to the Official Dispatch No. 68/CV-BCD dated May 28, 2025 of the Steering Committee for arrangement of administrative divisions at all levels and development of 02-level local government model regarding arrangement and re-organization of local public service units when applying 02-level local government model;

At the request of the Head of the Organization and Personnel Department;

...

...

...

Chapter I

PROVINCIAL-LEVEL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH

Article 1. Legal position

1. Provincial-level Departments of Health are specialized agencies affiliated to provincial-level People's Committees, have juridical person status, their own seals and accounts in accordance with regulations of law.

2. Provincial-level Departments of Health operate under the direct direction and management of provincial-level People's Committees in terms of their organizational structure, payroll and operation, and also follow specialized and professional direction, inspection and guidance of the Ministry of Health.

Article 2. Functions

Provincial-level Departments of Health take charge of advising and assisting provincial-level People's Committees to perform the state management of health sector, including: preventive medicine; medical examination and treatment, functional rehabilitation; medical assessment, forensic examination and forensic psychiatric assessment; maternal and children’s affairs; population; prevention and control of social evils (except detoxification and post-detoxification management); management and use of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children; social protection; traditional medicine and pharmacy; pharmaceutical products and cosmetics; food safety; medical devices; health insurance, in accordance with regulations of law.

Article 3. Tasks and powers

1. Submit the following documents to provincial-level People's Committees:

...

...

...

b) Draft plans, programs, schemes, projects and measures for organization of implementation of tasks relating to development of the fields and sectors in provinces or cities under management of Provincial-level Departments of Health;

c) Draft decisions defining functions, tasks, power and organizational structures of Provincial-level Departments of Health; draft decisions defining functions, tasks, power and organizational structures of sub-departments and public administrative units affiliated to Provincial-level Departments of Health;

d) Draft decisions on private sector involvement in provision of public services in the health sector within jurisdiction of provincial-level People's Committees;

dd) Draft decisions on delegation of powers and authorization to perform tasks under state management of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law.

2. Submit to Chairpersons of provincial-level People's Committees drafts of documents falling within their promulgating authority as assigned.

3. Organize the implementation of legislative documents, strategies, plannings, plans, programs, schemes, projects and other documents in the health sector after they are approved; disseminate information, provide guidance and educate on, and monitor the implementation of regulations of law on the fields under state management of provincial-level Departments of Health.

4. Organize appraisal, issuance, re-issuance, renewal, modification, suspension and revocation of licenses, certificates and confirmations under management of provincial-level Departments of Health as assigned, delegated and as prescribed by law. Carry out quality management and control of services, goods and products under state management of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law.

5. Regarding preventive medicine:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents; specialized regulations, national technical regulations on prevention and control of infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, occupational diseases, accidents and injuries; determination of drug addiction state, prevention and treatment of addiction to opioids and other narcotic substances; environmental health, school health services, occupational health and hygiene; community nutrition; border health quarantine; management of waste discharged within precincts of health facilities; management of chemicals, insecticidal and germicidal chemicals and preparations for household and medical use in accordance with regulations of law;

...

...

...

c) Provide guidance on and organize vaccination activities and provision of medical biological products to eligible entities in accordance with regulations of law; organize receipt of notifications of eligibility to provide vaccination services, and publish information on such vaccination clinics that have completed procedures for notification of eligibility to provide vaccination services on websites of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law;

d) Declare and re-declare facilities eligible to provide opioid substitution therapy, suspend and invalidate documents submitted to apply for declaration of eligibility to provide opioid substitution therapy in accordance with regulations of law; publish the list of facilities that have completed procedures for self-declaration of satisfaction of level-I and level-II biosafety standards on websites of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law;

dd) Manage, provide guidance on and conduct workplace environment monitoring activities; evaluate, monitor and manage workplace hazards; establish workplace environment monitoring database, announce the list of eligible providers of workplace environment monitoring services and the list of entities suspended from provision of workplace environment monitoring services as prescribed by law; advise provincial-level People's Committees to promulgate local technical regulations on domestic water quality, and monitor and inspect the implementation thereof;

e) Provide instructions within their competence on management of occupational sanitation, health examination for employees, examination for early detection of occupational diseases and monitoring of employees’ health at workplaces; take charge of managing the issuance of professional and training certificates of occupational health, workplace first aid and emergency skills in accordance with regulations of law;

g) Act as contact points in charge of prevention and control of harmful effects of tobacco and alcoholic beverages in accordance with regulations of law.

6. Regarding medical examination and treatment, functional rehabilitation, medical assessment, forensic examination and forensic psychiatric assessment:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents, specialized regulations, national technical regulations on medical examination and treatment, functional rehabilitation, medical assessment, forensic examination and forensic psychiatric assessment under their management as delegated and as prescribed by law;

b) Carry out appraisal and determination of technical and professional levels of health facilities, and consider giving approval for list of technical operations to be performed at health facilities falling within their jurisdiction as delegated and as prescribed by law;

c) Provide professional guidance on and perform tasks relating to provision of healthcare services to officials under their management as prescribed.

...

...

...

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents, national strategies, policies, programs, plans and objectives on maternal and children’s affairs; specialized regulations and national technical regulations on reproductive health services and child protection services;

b) Provide guidance on and organize the provision of reproductive health consulting and care services; provision of consulting, nutritional and healthcare services for mothers and children; provision of prenatal and newborn consulting, screening, diagnosis and treatment services; models and projects on protection of mothers and children; action months for children; children’s participation in children-related affairs; caring for and nurture of disadvantaged children; protection of children from accidents and injuries;

c) Coordinate the exercise of children's rights in conformity with local characteristics and conditions; propose arrangement of and mobilize resources for serving the exercise of children's rights and protection of children in provinces or cities; organize and manage operations of providers of services of protection of children's rights under their jurisdiction; assist and make intervention in cases where children are abused or threatened to be suffered violence, exploited or abandoned, and disadvantaged children;

d) Monitor and assess the exercise of children's rights in accordance with regulations of law; propose inclusion of children-related objectives and norms in local socio-economic development plannings/plans when they are formulated; prepare annual or ad hoc reports on the exercise of children's rights and settlement of children-related issues in the provinces or cities.

8. Regarding population:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents, strategies, policies, programs, plans, schemes, projects, models, and systems of objectives and norms on population; specialized regulations and national technical regulations on services rendered in population sector;

b) Perform state management of scale, structure and quality of population in provinces or cities. Provide advice on solutions to make appropriate adjustments to population scale, control the sex ratio at birth, improve population quality and adapt to population aging;

c) Play the leading role in and enter into interdisciplinary cooperation in population affairs; include population - development contents in local socio-economic development plannings/plans when they are formulated.

9. Regarding social protection, and prevention and control of social evils:

...

...

...

b) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents, policies, programs and plans on prostitution prevention and control, and support for victims and persons undergoing trafficking victim identification;

c) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of policies and regulations of law on emergency social support for recovery from disaster, catastrophes, epidemics or other force majeure events;

d) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of regulations on eligibility requirements, procedures for establishment, registration and licensing for operation of social support facilities, and disability care facilities in accordance with regulations of law;

dd) Provide guidance on and organize nurture of and caring activities of social support facilities, elderly and disability care facilities;

e) Provide guidance on and organize screening of workers for human trafficking; receipt of and implementation of medical support and psychological support measures for victims of human trafficking and persons undergoing victim identification, and support for community reintegration of victims of human trafficking;

g) Provide guidance on and organize inclusion of prostitution and human trafficking prevention and combat-related contents in programs on prevention and control of social evils and children protection, women’s advancement programs, and other socio-economic development programs of provinces or cities.

10. Regarding traditional medicine and pharmacy:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of mechanisms, policies, legislative documents on inheritance, conservation, development and modernization of traditional medicine and pharmacy; specialized regulations and national technical regulations on traditional medicine and pharmacy, and combination of traditional medicine and pharmacy and modern medicine;

b) Cooperate with relevant agencies and units in organizing implementation of measures for conservation, exploitation and rational and sustainable use of herbal resources, and development of herb planting areas.

...

...

...

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents, specialized regulations and national technical regulations on pharmaceutical products and cosmetics; sets of national standards for medicines;

b) Carry out quality management of drugs and medicinal materials; suspend sale or recall of drugs and medicinal materials; inspect and supervise recall and disposal of drugs, medicinal materials and cosmetics under their management in accordance with regulations of law;

c) Advise provincial-level People's Committees to carry out bidding and procurement of drugs in accordance with regulations of law, and adopt solutions to supply drugs to serve medical examination and treatment, and recovery from disaster, catastrophes;

d) Direct, provide guidance on and organize performance of clinical pharmacy activities to ensure safety and efficacy in accordance with regulations of law.

12. Regarding food safety:

a) Play the leading role in formulating local technical regulations on food safety of local specific food products in health sector, and submitting them to competent authorities for promulgation in accordance with regulations of law;

b) Play the leading role and cooperate with relevant agencies in managing food safety, investigating and handling food poisoning cases in provinces or cities; supervise and inspect satisfaction of food safety conditions by small-scale food manufacturing and/or trading establishments, street food vendors, food and beverage trading establishments, food safety at markets in their provinces or cities, and other entities under their management as delegated.

13. Regarding medical devices and works:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of legislative documents on management of medical devices and works in provinces;

...

...

...

14. Regarding health insurance:

a) Provide guidance on and organize the implementation of regulations of law on health insurance in provinces within their jurisdiction;

b) Play the leading role and cooperate with local social insurance agencies in implementing policies and laws on health insurance in provinces.

15. Regarding health workforce training, advanced training and development:

a) Formulate policies for encouraging development of health workforce in provinces, and plans for training and advanced training for officials, public employees and workers under their management, and submit them to competent authorities for promulgation;

b) Organize implementation of plans for health workforce training and advanced training, and regimes and policies for development of health workforce in provinces;

c) Manage training institutions, lecturers and programs/materials used for training officials, public employees and workers under their management.

16. Regarding dissemination and provision of information in health sector:

a) Disseminate information for encouraging and mobilizing support from executive committees of the Communist Party of Vietnam at all levels, governments, socio-political organizations, and proactive participation of people in the protection, caring for and improvement of health of local residents;

...

...

...

c) Act as contact points in charge of disseminating policies, regulations of law, provide and manage information in health sector under their jurisdiction; cooperate with relevant agencies and units in dealing with media crises in the fields and sectors under their management in provinces or cities; implement regulations on speaking and provision of information in health sector as prescribed.

17. Assist provincial-level People's Committees in managing and using National Fund for Vietnamese Children as prescribed; perform, within their competence, state management of enterprises, collective and private economic organizations, societies, associations and non-governmental organizations operating in health sector in provinces or cities in accordance with regulations of law.

18. Organize receipt and processing of applications for handling of administrative procedures as assigned, delegated or authorized by competent authorities in accordance with regulations of law.

19. Carry out inspection and take actions within their competence against violations against regulations of law in the fields and sectors under management of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law, and as assigned or authorized by provincial-level People's Committees.

20. Organize performance of administrative reform tasks in health sector according to objectives, tasks and solutions set out in state administrative reform programs of provincial-level People's Committees.

21. Carry out international cooperation in health sector as assigned or authorized by provincial-level People's Committees.

22. Provide professional and specialized guidance in health sector for specialized agencies affiliated to commune-level People’s Committees and relevant units.

23. Organize researches into and application of achievements in science, technology and innovation; building and management of electronic medical records; build, manage, maintain, update and ensure safety and security of information systems, databases and digital transformation serving performance of state management tasks, and professional and specialized operations in health sector in accordance with regulations of law.

24. Organize citizen reception, and settlement of complaints and denunciations; prevention and control of corruption and misconduct; thrift practices and waste combat in accordance with regulations of law.

...

...

...

26. Manage organizational structure, official payroll, structure of official ranks, job positions, professional title-based structure of public employees, and number of employees working at units of and affiliated to provincial-level Departments of Health; implement regimes and policies on salaries, preferential treatment, commendation and reward, disciplinary actions, and quality assessment of officials, public employees and workers under management of provincial-level Departments of Health in accordance with regulations of law and as assigned, delegated or authorized by provincial-level People's Committees.

27. Provide guidance on and inspect the exercise of autonomy by public service units in fields and sectors in accordance with regulations of law; manage operations of state-owned and non-state public service units in fields and sectors under their management.

28. Take charge of and assume responsibility for managing finances and assigned assets in accordance with regulations of law.

29. Provide information and submit reports on a periodical and ad-hoc basis on the performance of assigned tasks to provincial-level People's Committees and Ministry of Health.

30. Act as standing units of provincial interdisciplinary cooperation organizations in fields and sectors under their management; perform tasks as delegated or authorized and other tasks as assigned by provincial-level People's Committees in accordance with regulations of law.

Chapter II

SPECIALIZED HEALTH AGENCIES AFFILIATED TO COMMUNE-LEVEL PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES

Article 4. Legal position

Cultural - Social Divisions are specialized agencies affiliated to commune-level People's Committees, and take charge of advising and assisting commune-level People's Committees to perform the state management of health sector and other sectors as prescribed by law.

...

...

...

Article 5. Functions

Cultural - Social Divisions take charge of advising and assisting commune-level People's Committees to perform the state management of health sector, including: preventive medicine; medical examination and treatment, functional rehabilitation; maternal and children’s affairs; population; prevention and control of social evils (except detoxification and post-detoxification management); social protection; traditional medicine and pharmacy; pharmaceutical products and cosmetics; food safety; medical devices; health insurance, and other sectors in commune-level administrative divisions in accordance with regulations of law.

Article 6. Tasks and powers

1. Submit the following documents to commune-level People's Committees:

a) Draft Resolutions of commune-level People's Councils (if any), and draft decisions of commune-level People's Committees in the health sector as assigned by commune-level People's Committees;

b) Draft plans for development of the health sector; programs and measures for organization of implementation of health sector-related tasks in commune-level administrative divisions under management of Cultural - Social Divisions;

c) Engage in drafting of decisions defining functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of Cultural - Social Divisions.

2. Organize implementation of legislative documents, plannings and plans after they are approved; disseminate information and educate on, and monitor the implementation of regulations of law on health sector.

3. Assist commune-level People's Committees in carrying out, and assume responsibility for, appraisal of applications and issuance of licenses, certificates and other documents of equivalent validity in the health sector falling within the scope of responsibility and jurisdiction of Cultural - Social Divisions as prescribed by law and as assigned by commune-level People's Committees.

...

...

...

5. Organize application of science and technology advances, and innovation, and digital transformation in the health sector; perform administrative reform tasks; build information and archiving systems to serve the state management of health sector and professional operations of Cultural - Social Divisions.

6. Inspect the implementation of regulations of law, professional regulations and national technical regulations in health sector by organizations and individuals in their commune-level administrative divisions, and take actions against any violations detected; perform citizen reception tasks, and settle complaints and denunciations; prevent and control corruption, wastefulness and misconduct in accordance with regulations of law and as assigned by commune-level People's Committees.

7. Provide information and submit reports on a periodical and ad-hoc basis on the performance of assigned tasks in accordance with regulations adopted by commune-level People's Committees and provincial-level Departments of Industry and Trade.

8. Manage organizational structure, payroll, structure and arrangement of ranks of officials, job positions, professional title-based structure of public employees, and number of employees working at public service units in health sector; implement regimes and policies on salaries, preferential treatment, training and advanced training, commendation and reward, and disciplinary actions applicable to officials, public employees and workers under their management as prescribed by law and as assigned by commune-level People's Committees.

9. Take charge of and assume responsibility for managing finances and assets of Cultural - Social Divisions in accordance with regulations of law.

10. Perform other tasks and powers as delegated, authorized or devolved by competent authorities in accordance with regulations of law.

11. Perform other tasks assigned by commune-level People's Committees in accordance with regulations of law.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION

...

...

...

1. This Circular comes into force from July 01, 2025.

2. The Circular No. 37/2021/TT-BYT dated December 31, 2021 of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam providing guidance on functions, tasks and powers of Provincial-level Departments of Health affiliated to People's Committees of provinces or central-affiliated cities and District-level Health Offices affiliated to People's Committees of urban/rural districts, district-level towns, cities affiliated to provinces and central-affiliated cities shall cease to have effect from the effective date of this Circular.

Article 8. Responsibility for implementation

1. Provincial-level People’s Committees and their Chairpersons shall:

a) Direct organization of the implementation of this Circular;

b) Transfer Health Centers affiliated to existing district-level People’s Committees to Provincial-level Departments of Health for management and organization of provision of services to inter-commune or inter-ward regions; continue maintaining operation of Health Stations of communes, wards and towns, and regional polyclinics (if any) affiliated to existing Health Centers or merge Health Stations in previous communes into a Health Station in the new commune and establish some Healthcare Points in such previous communes to serve people pending the new guidance given by the Ministry of Health.

2. Heads of affiliated units of the Ministry of Health; Directors of Provincial-level Departments of Health; heads of relevant authorities and organizations are responsible for the implementation of this Circular.

Difficulties that arise during the implementation of this Circular should be promptly reported to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam (via the Organization and Personnel Department) for consideration./.

...

...

...

MINISTER




Dao Hong Lan