From July 1, the Ministry of Health will no longer have the authority to issue and manage licenses for medical examination and treatment practice. This responsibility will instead be delegated to chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees.

The change is stipulated in Resolution 21/2026, which focuses on reducing and simplifying business conditions, administrative procedures, and decentralizing authority in the healthcare sector.

Under Article 2 of the resolution, provincial-level People’s Committee chairpersons will handle all procedures related to medical practice licenses. These include issuance, reissuance, extension, adjustment, suspension, and revocation. The regulation applies to both newly issued licenses and those granted under previous rules.

The resolution also expands decentralization in the licensing of healthcare facility operations. Provincial chairpersons will have the authority to reissue and adjust operation licenses in cases involving changes to working hours or modifications to the name and address of private hospitals, provided there is no change in location. These provisions are outlined in Articles 63 and 65 of Decree 96/2023/ND-CP.

Under current regulations, the Ministry of Health issues practice licenses to professionals such as doctors, nurses, physician assistants, midwives, and paramedics working in hospitals under its direct management. Meanwhile, provincial People’s Committees grant licenses to those working in local facilities. From July 1, all such licensing authority will be consolidated under provincial administrations.

The Ministry of Health will, however, retain certain powers. These include issuing new operation licenses for medical examination and treatment facilities, approving adjustments to special technical service lists for private hospitals, and managing licensing for hospitals under its jurisdiction. It will also continue to assess proposals for additional specialized techniques and evaluate the implementation of new methods across healthcare facilities nationwide.

Beyond decentralization, the resolution also aims to simplify and shorten the time required to process administrative procedures in the medical examination and treatment sector.

The provisions on decentralization will take effect from July 1, while the entire resolution has been in force since April 29, 2026.

Vo Thu