Vietnam's Ministry of Health has drafted a circular, reported on 4 November, that would assess doctors' professional ethics before they receive a practising licence, VnExpress reports. The draft sets a national framework for the practice period that doctors must complete first, covering general medicine, preventive medicine, traditional medicine and dentistry.
Doctors would complete 12 months of practice under a "3+9" formula: three months in emergency and intensive care and nine months of specialist practice. For general medicine the nine months cover internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics-gynaecology, plus taking part in clinical procedures and assisting at operations.
The draft requires assessment at three levels. Doctors must keep a full clinical logbook, be assessed on professional ethics and compliance with professional rules, and present a case report and handle a hypothetical clinical situation before a panel. Medical law, patient safety and communication skills would be built into the whole practice period.
Dr Ha Anh Duc, head of the Medical Examination and Treatment Department, said the framework is meant to consolidate what doctors learned in six years of university, not to create a new course. The report says the circular is expected to take effect on 15 November and that training, practice and competence assessment would be aligned from 1 January 2027. It does not say when the consultation on the draft closes.
This is a draft: it has not been adopted, and requirements could change before it takes effect.
Sources
This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
