Vietnam Ministry of Health clarifies no mandatory 6-minute minimum for patient exams

Vietnam's Minister of Health, Dao Hong Lan, has clarified that there is no mandatory regulation requiring a minimum of six minutes for each patient examination. This clarification follows concerns raised by voters regarding the potential for rigid application of such timeframes, which could hinder large hospitals from treating all registered patients in a day.

The Ministry of Health stated that the six-minute figure mentioned in some facilities is intended as an expected duration for direct doctor-patient interaction—including history taking, examination, and professional assessment—rather than a strict minimum requirement.

Under Decision No. 1313/QD-BYT, the focus is on the total time for the entire examination process. Guidelines suggest average total times of under 2 hours for simple clinical examinations, under 3 hours when one paraclinical technique is added, under 3.5 hours for two combined techniques, and under 4 hours for three combined techniques. The Ministry emphasized that consultation time should depend on the patient's condition and medical requirements.