Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health is preparing a draft decision that would allow rare medicines and drugs for special treatment to be licensed for import locally, reducing intermediate steps and speeding access to medicines for patients.
The Department of Health is revising the draft for submission to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. It would regulate permits for importing medicines without a marketing authorization in Vietnam for emergency care, poisoning treatment, prevention of transplant rejection and treatment of rare diseases.
The proposal is intended to clarify the powers of the chairperson of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee under Law No. 18/2026/QH16 on urban development. It would provide a legal basis for receiving, assessing and processing applications locally, without referring them to the central regulatory authority.
Ho Chi Minh City is a major center for specialized medicine in southern Vietnam. Its top-level hospitals receive seriously ill patients from different provinces. Demand for medicines used in emergency care, poisoning treatment, prevention of transplant rejection and rare diseases is therefore regular and urgent, and delays directly affect patients' lives.
A pilot decentralization under the Government's Decree No. 84 of 2024 ran from December 2024 through the end of June 2025. During that period, Ho Chi Minh City processed 20 applications covering 20 types of medicine, including six emergency medicines and 14 rare medicines. The average processing time was four to 10 days, earlier than the 15-day period set by regulations.
After the pilot ended in June 2025, medical facilities again had to submit applications to the Ministry of Health. Moving documents through several intermediate stages prolonged the preparation and compilation of materials before an application could be reviewed. Once the new mechanism is launched, Ho Chi Minh City expects to receive about 100 applications a year.
Under the draft, the processing period will be 15 days. It is planned to be shortened to 10 days for groups of medicines that meet the stated conditions. Information about issued permits must be published within five working days. The required documents, permit conditions and assessment fee will remain unchanged and continue to be governed by current regulations. No new administrative procedures will be introduced.
Clearer powers, fewer intermediate stages and electronic processing are expected to help medical facilities obtain necessary medicines sooner, especially in emergencies and cases involving rare diseases. The project's stated aim is for patients to receive suitable and safe medicines on time.
The draft is expected to be submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for consideration and approval in October 2026.
Sources: Thanh Niên
