The Ministry of Health (MOH) is working on the second draft of a circular guiding investment in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) in the health sector with investment models expected to suit Vietnam’s practical conditions.
Under the draft, the PPP form would be applied to projects in such areas as construction, upgrading, commercial operation and management of infrastructure facilities and provision of equipment or public services at hospitals, health establishments and functional rehabilitation centers under public non-business units.
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| Establishments providing testing and inspection services for drugs, cosmetics, food, vaccines, biological products and medical equipment would receive PPP investments__Photo: Internet |
Establishments providing testing and inspection services for drugs, cosmetics, food, vaccines, biological products and medical equipment would also receive investments in this form. Eligible for PPP investment would be other projects on medical waste treatment, vocational training in the health sector and information technology application at health facilities.
The draft says that PPP projects in the health sector must comply with the provisions on formulation, approval and publicization of project proposals in Government Decree No. 15 of 2015 and satisfy certain conditions on selection of projects so as to meet the requirements of the health sector.
Specifically, project proposals must be in line with the master plan and strategy on protection, care and improvement of people’s health as well as relevant sectoral and regional development plans and local socio-economic development plans.
The draft requires a project to have the total investment capital of at least VND 20 billion, except projects carried out under operate-manage contracts.
According to Nguyen Nam Lien, Director of the MOH’s Planning-Finance Department, difficulties still exist in attraction of the private sector’s investment in healthcare activities, attributing this to the lack of specific legal provisions; insufficient and incompetent personnel; and inadequate state funds for PPP projects in the health sector.- (VLLF)
