Ministry of Health Proposal to Add New Diseases to the 90-Day Outpatient Prescription Scope
The Ministry of Health has prepared a draft to expand the list of diseases for outpatient patients for whom medications can be prescribed for more than 30 days and up to a maximum of 90 days.
With a new draft circular prepared to facilitate long-term access to medication for outpatients, the Ministry of Health proposed increasing the number of diseases for which prescriptions can be written for more than 30 days by 120, bringing the total to 372.
Details of the Draft Circular
The Ministry of Health has prepared a draft text amending Circular No. 26/2025/TT-BYT, which regulates the prescription of medications to outpatients at medical examination and treatment facilities, and opened it for feedback from relevant parties.
While the current practice includes 252 diseases across 16 disease groups for which prescriptions can be written for longer than 30 days, the new regulation aims to add 120 new diseases to this list, reaching a total of 372.
Medical Fields Included in the Scope
With the new draft regulation, cardiovascular diseases, skin diseases, and types of cancer are taking their place on the list.
Additionally, outpatient prescriptions for many chronic disorders in the fields of respiratory, urology-genital, hematology, and endocrinology can be written for a maximum of up to 90 days.
Physicians' Authority and Safety Measures
Physicians will have the authority to determine the usage duration of each medication based on the patient's clinical condition and stability, but prescriptions will not be issued automatically.
Healthcare institutions will be held responsible for performing necessary safety checks against contraindications, drug interactions, and duplicate medication use.