Modernizing Health Sector Regulations On December 30, 2025, the Minister of Health signed Circular No. 47/2025/TT-BYT, a strategic initiative to purge outdated regulations and enhance the transparency of the national healthcare legal system. This Circular is scheduled to officially take effect on February 15, 2026.
Scope of the Regulatory Clean-up The newly issued Circular mandates the complete abolition of 43 legal documentsand the partial removal of 02 others. The list comprises decisions and circulars issued over several decades, ranging from as early as 1957 to as recently as 2024.
Key Areas Impacted by the Revocation The deregulation focuses on segments where policies have become redundant or have been superseded by modern laws:
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Pharmaceutical Management: Revoking regulations on pharmacy operations and drug processing standards from the 1990s.
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Institutional Governance: Abolishing outdated operational charters for major national institutes (Hygiene and Epidemiology, Materia Medica) and central specialized hospitals.
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Technical Standards: Eliminating obsolete guidelines such as dialysis filter cleaning protocols, commune health station design standards, and rapid food contamination testing from 2004.
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Human Resources Policies: Terminating old directives on seniority allowances and service terms in remote areas, which are now covered by updated legislation.
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Health Insurance: Removing past regulations on drug cost payments and medical support for the poor to ensure alignment with current insurance laws.
Updates to Cosmetic Manufacturing Standards Significantly, Circular 47 also partially annuls provisions related to “Good Manufacturing Practices for Cosmetics” (ASEAN CGMP). Specifically, the 2-year validity period for Certificates and certain administrative forms will be abolished, paving the way for more modern manufacturing compliance standards.