16 diseases, groups of diseases prescribed outpatient drugs for more than 30 days

(Chinhphu.vn) - From today (July 1), these diseases and groups of diseases will be prescribed outpatient drugs for more than 30 days. Previously, some diseases in this group had a maximum limit of 30 days for outpatient prescriptions.

16 diseases and groups of diseases are prescribed outpatient drugs for more than 30 days - Photo: VGP/HM

This is a regulation according to the guidance in Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT on prescriptions and prescriptions of pharmaceutical and biological drugs in outpatient treatment recently issued by the Ministry of Health .

The list of 252 diseases and groups of diseases that are applied for outpatient prescriptions for more than 30 days is specifically listed by the Ministry of Health in Circular 26/2025/TT-BYT, such as: Chronic hepatitis B, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, thyroid cancer, diabetes, myasthenia gravis, keratitis, infections, parasites, hypertension, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia, some gynecological diseases in adolescents such as menorrhagia during puberty...

According to Dr. Vuong Anh Duong, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health, the policy of providing long-term treatment drugs for some outpatient diseases, especially for stable chronic diseases, comes from the practical needs of patients, especially those living in remote areas, the elderly, and patients with difficulty traveling. This is a completely legitimate need.

In particular, in practice, the Ministry of Health has allowed the provision of drugs for 3 months during the COVID-19 period, when patients could not go to the hospital regularly. The results show that the provision of long-term treatment drugs for some diseases brings many advantages such as reducing overload for medical facilities, reducing time and travel costs for patients while still ensuring treatment effectiveness.

However, Dr. Vuong Anh Duong also warned that not all diseases in the list of outpatient prescriptions are automatically prescribed for more than 30 days because there are diseases in which doctors must carefully assess the condition of each patient before deciding on the number of days to provide medication, which can be 30, 60 or 90 days.

Therefore, this Circular stipulates that the prescriber decides the number of days of use of each drug in the prescription based on the clinical condition and stability of the patient to prescribe the drug with the maximum number of days of use of each drug not exceeding 90 days.

The Circular also clearly stipulates that prescribers must be legally responsible for their prescriptions, ensuring that they are consistent with the diagnosis, the stability of the disease, and the patient's ability to self-monitor treatment at home.

In case the medicine has not been used up but the disease progresses abnormally, or the patient cannot return for a follow-up examination on time, it is mandatory to return to the medical facility for a doctor to evaluate and adjust the prescription if necessary.

Hien Minh

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/16-benh-nhom-benh-duoc-ke-don-thuoc-ngoai-tru-tren-30-ngay-102250701182754642.htm