On 9 January 2023, the National Assembly passed the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15, replacing the existing 2009 law on the same subject. The new law introduces certain significant changes to the provision of healthcare services, including the following:
- The new law now explicitly requires the Vietnamese language to be used in medical examinations and treatments, save that foreign medical practitioners can use a foreign language in limited circumstances (e.g. providing services to other foreigners). This would impact the long-standing (and prevalent) practice of foreign medical practitioners providing services to Vietnamese individuals with the use of interpreters.
- The new law also introduces general provisions on telemedicine conducted between medical practitioners and patients or between medical establishments. It envisages, however, that the Government will pass further detailed regulations on the provision of such telemedicine services in the future.
Most provisions of the law will come into effect from 1 January 2024. However, there are grandfather provisions that apply for certain key changes (e.g. the language requirement above).
