Hanoi (VNA)- The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued a set of criteria to assess hospitalquality towards improving services and increasing patient satisfaction.
The 83 criteria weretested over a three-year basis.
Nineteen of the criteriaare related to patient care, 14 to work force development, 38 to professionalquality, eight to quality improvement and four to professional knowledge,according to the MoH.
Implementation of thecriteria will be graded according to five levels: bad, average, moderatelygood, good and very good.
The head of theministry’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, Luong Ngoc Khue,said the criteria was aimed at encouraging hospitals to improve their operationand quality and provide safe and qualified services.
They would also serve asa tool for management agencies to guide hospitals on quality and to implementquality assessment activities, he added.
He noted that effectivequality management reduced costs and errors, which in turn attracted morepatients.
Hospitals wouldthemselves assess their service quality first, in November and December, andwould then be examined by management agencies, according to the official.
The ministry reportedlast week it had planned to issue more criteria in 2017 to help assess hospitalquality more comprehensively.
Minister of Health NguyenThi Kim Tien said at the third national hospital quality forum in Septemberthat improving health check-ups and treatment quality to satisfy patients was apriority for the healthcare sector.
Despite some remainingweaknesses, she said that the service quality had seen major improvements inrecent years, earning public appreciation. A number of hospitals have takenmeasures to shorten the time patients wait to be treated, while applyinginformation technology and bettering hygienic conditions, she noted./.
Some 200 local and international experts took part in a workshop on September 10 to share information and practices on managing and improving hospital quality.
More and more public and private hospitals in HCM City have taken efforts to reach criteria for quality standards issued by the Health Ministry, according to the city's Department of Health.
The building and upgrading of new health facilities in the country as well as the improved capacity of doctors, especially at the grassroots level, has helped reduce patient overload at hospitals.
A pilot programme on national hospital quality assessment has resulted in positive results, but a gap between policy objectives and operations still exists, hospital officials have said.
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After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
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The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
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After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Illustrative image (Source: E Hospital) 
