Thông tư số 07/2013/TT-BYT của Bộ Y tế: Quy định tiêu chuẩn, chức năng, nhiệm vụ của nhân viên y tế thôn, bản

CIRCULAR

DEFINING STANDARDS, FUNCTIONS AND TASKS OF VILLAGE HEALTH WORKERS

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No.63/2012/NDD-CP dated August 31, 2012 defining functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 153/2006/QDD-TTg dated June 30, 2006 approving the master plan on development of Vietnam's healthcare system up to 2010 with a vision to 2020;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 75/2009/QDD-TTg dated May 11, 2009 on allowances for village health workers;

At the request of the Director General of the Department of Personnel and Organization, Director General of the Maternal and Child Health Department and Ministry of Health;

The Minister of Health promulgates the Circular defining standards, functions and tasks of village health workers.

Article 1. Scope and regulated entities

1. This Circular defines standards, functions and tasks of health workers of villages, mountain villages, hamlets, ethnic communities, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “village”).

2. Village health workers include:

a) Village health workers providing primary healthcare (hereinafter referred to as “village health workers”);

b) Village health workers providing maternal and child healthcare (hereinafter referred to as “village midwives”) in villages where there is a high population of ethnic minorities, refusal of pregnancy examination, pregnancy management and birth in healthcare establishments is still prevalent, exceptional socio-economic difficulties, difficult and complicated traffic, limited access to healthcare establishments and/or the villages encompassing a large area.

3. Health workers of neighborhoods to whom the standards, functions and tasks defined in this Circular apply.

4. This Circular is not applicable to collaborators of healthcare programs.

Article 2. Standards for village health workers

1. In terms of training and professional qualifications:

a) Village health workers providing primary healthcare shall have at least an elementary healthcare qualification or complete at least a 3-month training course in the training framework for village health workers of the Ministry of Health;

b) Village midwives shall complete at least a 6-month training course in the training framework for village midwives of the Ministry of Health.

2. Village health workers shall be living and having a stable job in villages; voluntarily working as village health workers or midwives.

3. Village health workers shall be responsible persons, enthusiastic in social activities, capable of persuading the people and trusted by local communities.

4. Village health workers shall be in good health to carry out their tasks.

Article 3. Functions of village health workers

1. Village health workers providing primary healthcare shall participate in provision of primary healthcare in villages.

2. Village midwives shall participate in provision of maternal and child healthcare in villages.

Article 4. Tasks of village health workers

1. The tasks of village health workers providing primary healthcare are:

a) Educating about health in local communities such as:

- Disseminating knowledge on health protection, environmental hygiene and food safety;

- Providing guidance on some primary healthcare measures; disease prevention and control in local communities;

- Educating people on HIV/AIDS prevention and control;

- Providing information and advice on population work - family planning.

b) Participating in specialized healthcare activities in local communities such as:

- Detecting, participating in monitoring and reporting status of epidemics, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, social diseases, diseases transmitted by food in villages;

- Participating in monitoring the quality of water used for consumption and daily activities; household and public hygienic constructions in villages;

- Participating in spreading movements of hygiene and disease prevention, food safety, community health improvement, building of health culture villages.

c) Providing maternal and child healthcare and family planning such as:

- Encouraging and persuading pregnant women to visit commune-level healthcare stations for pregnancy management registration, pregnancy examination and to give birth in healthcare establishments; providing help to births before arrival;

- Providing guidance, monitoring and providing homecare to mothers and their newborns within 06 weeks after birth;

- Providing guidance on some simple measures on monitoring and caring for children and preventing and controlling malnutrition of children under 05 years of age;

- Providing guidance on family planning, providing and instructing use of condoms, oral contraceptives as prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

d) Providing first-aid and healthcare for common diseases such as:

- Performing first-aid in case of emergencies and accidents;

- Providing healthcare for some common diseases in local communities;

- Providing guidance on healthcare of the elderly, disabled persons, persons with social diseases and non-communicable diseases in the home.

dd) Participating in implementation of healthcare programs in villages.

e) Encouraging and instructing the people to grow and use Vietnamese traditional herbs in the home to prevent and treat some common diseases.

g) Participating in periodical briefings with healthcare stations of communes, wards and towns (hereinafter referred to as “commune-level healthcare stations”); participating in specialized training and refresher courses organized by superior healthcare authorities to improve qualifications.

h) Managing and using medical bags of villages efficiently.

i) Recording and reporting promptly and fully as instructed by commune-level healthcare stations.

2. The tasks of village midwives are:

a) Providing information on maternal and child healthcare such as:

- Advising on reproductive health and family planning for women of reproductive age, malnutrition prevention for children under 05 years of age;

- Persuading and encouraging pregnant women to visit commune-level healthcare stations for pregnancy management registration, pregnancy examination and to visit healthcare establishments to give birth, administer tetanus vaccine for mothers and all required vaccines for children of suitable age;

- Providing guidance for pregnant women on self-care during pregnancy and after birth, breastfeeding and proper feeding for their children.

b) Providing healthcare to pregnant women such as:

- Recording morning sickness, detecting high-risk fetuses and promptly transferring to healthcare establishments;

- Delivering babies in the head-down position for mothers who do not or cannot arrive in time to give birth in healthcare establishments;

- Providing first-aid treatment in case of complications during homebirth and promptly transferring to healthcare establishments.

c) Providing periodical healthcare to mothers and newborns after homebirth;

d) Providing guidance on family planning, providing and instructing use of condoms, oral contraceptives as prescribed by the Ministry of Health;

dd) Cooperating in implementing healthcare programs in villages;

e) Participating in periodical briefings with commune-level healthcare stations; participating in specialized training and refresher courses organized by superior healthcare authorities to improve qualifications;

g) Managing and using midwife bags of villages efficiently;

h) Recording and reporting promptly and fully as instructed by commune-level healthcare stations.

Article 5. Allowances, equipment and methods of working

1. Allowances for village health workers shall be provided in accordance with applicable regulations of the State. There may be additional monthly allowances from other legal funding sources as prescribed by competent authorities.

2. Each village health worker shall be provided with medical equipment and tools on the list compiled by the Ministry of Health.

3. Village health workers shall work part-time in villages. Village health workers shall be responsible for proactively managing and arranging their schedules to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks prescribed in this Circular.

Article 6. Work relationships

1. Village health workers work under the direct management and professional guidance of commune-level healthcare stations.

2. Village health workers’ operation shall be managed and supervised by commune-level People’s Committees and Heads of villages.

3. Village health workers are in a cooperative relationship with the people and organizations of the villages.

4. Village health workers shall cooperate with each other in performing their assigned tasks.

Article 7. Effect

1. This Circular takes effect from May 01, 2013.

2. This Circular supersedes the Ministry of Health’s Circular No. 39/2010/TT-BYT dated September 10, 2010 defining standards, functions and tasks of village health workers starting from the date of its effect.

Article 8. Implementing organizations

1. People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall direct Departments of Health under their management to organize the implementation of this Circular in localities.

2. Based on the characteristics and status of each province, Departments of Health of provinces and central-affiliated cities shall be responsible for:

a) Taking charge in cooperating with relevant authorities in proposing to People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities in terms of:

- Quantity, selecting procedures, managing units, allowance payment for village health workers as prescribed by law;

- List of villages with difficulties in maternal and child healthcare and requiring 01 midwife for each of those villages;

- In case 01 health worker providing primary healthcare and 01 midwife are assigned to a village, the province-level People’s Committee shall decide whether the health worker providing primary healthcare has to fulfill the tasks prescribed in point c clause 1 Article 4 of this Circular based on actual demands of the locality and performance of the health worker and/or midwife.

b) Formulating and implementing plans for training and continuous training for village health workers as prescribed in clause 1 Article 2 of this Circular;

c) Directing and providing guidance on incorporating the activities of village health workers with collaborators of healthcare programs so as to improve the performance of village health workers;

d) Continuing to employ current village health workers and midwives who have not obtained the required professional qualifications as prescribed in clause 1 Article 2 of this Circular (if any) to ensure stability of the healthcare network of villages; preparing training plans for standardization of professional qualifications for these persons within 12 months starting from the date of effect of this Circular.

During the implementation of this Circular, any problem or difficulty that arises should be promptly reported to the Ministry of Health for ex officio consideration and/or resolution./.