Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Some 448 millionmedical tests are done in the country each year, but only a third of thecountry’s health facilities subject their tests to external quality assessments(EQAs).
At a recent seminar on medical testingcontrol organised by the Ministry of Health, a report said that of the 448million tests, around 90 million are done by hospitals managed directly by theministry and 240 million are done by hospitals at the provincial level.
Ta Thanh Van, Vice Rector of Hanoi MedicalUniversity, and Director of the Centre for Medical Testing Quality Control,said just one third of health facilities in the country bothered to utilise EQA,an important independent monitoring tool.
Van said one of the factors behind thereluctance to have medical tests independently assessed could be the cost. Eachlaboratory would have to spend around 200 million VND (8,800 USD) each year forEQAs, he said.
“This amount can be a burden for mostfacilities, especially those at lower levels or in remote areas where thenumber of patients are less than in big centres,” Van said.
He also said improved quality can be seenat health centres that use EQAs.
“Problems with human resources or equipmenthave been addressed at these facilities. Thus the quality of their service hasimproved,” he said, adding that private health facilities were more likely thantheir public counterparts to conduct EQAs.
Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy head of the Department of MedicalExamination and Treatment Department, said the Health Ministry was working onthe number and quality of laboratories nationwide and would make public a listof localities with low EQA rates.
The ministry would also try to ensure thatby 2018, all medical tests by certain laboratories can be connected andaccessed by others in the group. By 2025, this information sharing shouldhappen nationwide.
The ministry thus has asked all hospitalsand laboratories to make plans to upgrade their facilities and human resources.Regulations on mutual recognition of medical test results will be issued.
“We will propose to the Ministry of Financethat medical test costs are fixed in accordance with the quality of care providedby the health facility. This is not the situation today,” Khoa said.
The country now has 48 laboratoriesrecognised as meeting the ISO 15189:2012 standard, which specifies requirementsfor quality and competence in medical laboratories.-VNA
At a recent seminar on medical testingcontrol organised by the Ministry of Health, a report said that of the 448million tests, around 90 million are done by hospitals managed directly by theministry and 240 million are done by hospitals at the provincial level.
Ta Thanh Van, Vice Rector of Hanoi MedicalUniversity, and Director of the Centre for Medical Testing Quality Control,said just one third of health facilities in the country bothered to utilise EQA,an important independent monitoring tool.
Van said one of the factors behind thereluctance to have medical tests independently assessed could be the cost. Eachlaboratory would have to spend around 200 million VND (8,800 USD) each year forEQAs, he said.
“This amount can be a burden for mostfacilities, especially those at lower levels or in remote areas where thenumber of patients are less than in big centres,” Van said.
He also said improved quality can be seenat health centres that use EQAs.
“Problems with human resources or equipmenthave been addressed at these facilities. Thus the quality of their service hasimproved,” he said, adding that private health facilities were more likely thantheir public counterparts to conduct EQAs.
Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy head of the Department of MedicalExamination and Treatment Department, said the Health Ministry was working onthe number and quality of laboratories nationwide and would make public a listof localities with low EQA rates.
The ministry would also try to ensure thatby 2018, all medical tests by certain laboratories can be connected andaccessed by others in the group. By 2025, this information sharing shouldhappen nationwide.
The ministry thus has asked all hospitalsand laboratories to make plans to upgrade their facilities and human resources.Regulations on mutual recognition of medical test results will be issued.
“We will propose to the Ministry of Financethat medical test costs are fixed in accordance with the quality of care providedby the health facility. This is not the situation today,” Khoa said.
The country now has 48 laboratoriesrecognised as meeting the ISO 15189:2012 standard, which specifies requirementsfor quality and competence in medical laboratories.-VNA
VNA
