Ministry of Health Proposes 4 Major Legal Projects to Comprehensively Reform the Health Policy System
The Ministry of Health outlines the roadmap for 4 legal projects, focusing on administrative reform, food safety, organ transplantation, and tobacco harm prevention.
On the morning of October 1st, at a press conference regarding health policy development for the fourth quarter of 2026, Standing Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Vu Manh Ha, announced that the Ministry is accelerating 60 legislative tasks. The primary focus lies on 4 legal projects to be presented to the National Assembly at its second session in October 2026, aiming to modernize health sector governance and administrative procedures.
A key initiative is the bill to amend and supplement six laws simultaneously, including the Law on Children, Law on Persons with Disabilities, Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, Law on Pharmacy, Law on the Elderly, and Law on Health Insurance. The core objective is to eliminate legal gaps under the two-tier local government model while ensuring consistency with the Price Law, Law on Electronic Transactions, and Law on Digital Transformation.
Regarding the draft Law on Food Safety (amended), the management paradigm is shifting significantly from 'individual stage control' to managing the entire food value chain based on risk assessment. The Ministry of Health proposes transitioning from pre-inspection to post-market surveillance, requiring product declaration registration only for high-risk foods, such as products for children under 36 months or patients. International certifications such as HACCP and ISO 22000 will be widely recognized to reduce administrative burdens.
Concerning the Law on Donation, Removal, and Transplantation of Human Tissues and Organs, the draft expands its scope to include cells and embryos while permitting donation after circulatory death. Notably, the bill tightens regulations on 'transplant tourism' by requiring foreign recipients in Vietnam to share a direct bloodline or be related within three generations to the donor.
Finally, the draft amendment to the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms is designed to codify the ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in accordance with National Assembly Resolution 173. The bill bans the entire production and trade chain of these products and prohibits the display of tobacco products at retail points, with an expected effective date of July 1, 2027.
