Ensuring the rights of health insurance patients in hot weather

In the face of the hot weather that is occurring widely in many areas across the country, Vietnam Social Security has issued Official Dispatch No. 1136/BHXH-CSYT dated June 12, 2025 requesting Social Security in the regions to implement a number of contents to ensure the health of patients in harsh weather conditions.

The document clearly states: Social insurance of the regions reports to the People's Committee of the province/city directly under the Central Government to direct the Department of Health and health insurance examination and treatment facilities to fully ensure the legitimate rights of health insurance participants, protect health and improve the quality of examination and treatment for patients. The document needs to clearly report the following contents:

Prices of health insurance medical examination and treatment services (medical examination, hospital beds and technical services) according to the provisions of Decision No. 3072/QD-BYT dated May 21, 2018 of the Ministry of Health temporarily promulgating technical economic norms as the basis for establishing prices of medical examination and treatment services have been structured with direct costs to ensure medical examination and treatment, including full calculation of electricity costs, maintenance costs of air conditioners in medical examination areas, inpatient treatment rooms, procedure rooms, operating rooms...

Circular No. 15/2018/TT-BYT dated May 30, 2018 and circulars regulating the unification of prices for medical examination and treatment services covered by health insurance among hospitals of the same class nationwide and guiding the application of prices and payment of medical examination and treatment costs covered by health insurance in some cases have stipulated the responsibilities of medical examination and treatment facilities: "Must use an amount of funds equivalent to the cost of maintenance and repair of equipment, purchase of replacement tools and instruments included in the price of medical examination services, treatment bed days (special class, class I, class II hospitals equivalent to 5% of the price, class III, class IV, unclassified hospitals equivalent to 3% of the price) to repair, upgrade, expand the medical examination area, treatment departments; purchase additional, replace: tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, trolleys, air conditioners, fans, heating lamps, heating fans, computers, general and specialized medical examination kits; blankets, sheets, pillows, mattresses, mats;... to ensure professional conditions, hygiene, patient safety and improve the quality of patient service".

Clause 2, Article 15 of Circular No. 21/2024/TT-BYT dated October 17, 2024 of the Ministry of Health regulating the method of pricing medical examination and treatment services also stipulates that medical examination and treatment facilities are responsible for "Using funds from revenue sources in accordance with the costs included in the price of medical examination and treatment services to purchase, repair and replace medical equipment that is not fixed assets to ensure professional conditions, hygiene, patient safety and improve the quality of patient service".

At the same time, the Social Insurance of the regions has issued a document requesting health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities to strengthen heat protection for patients, ensuring that the examination and treatment areas and inpatient treatment areas are cool and airy in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health. Do not allow the situation where only the examination and treatment areas on demand and the treatment rooms on demand use air conditioning or the departments and rooms with air conditioning are broken or unusable, forcing patients to request treatment at the examination and treatment areas on demand or the treatment rooms on demand.

In particular, officers and employees of the Health Insurance Regime Department coordinate with health insurance examination and treatment facilities to review heat prevention for health insurance patients.

In case of detecting medical examination and treatment facilities that do not ensure heat protection, affecting the health and satisfaction of health insurance patients, promptly report to the Provincial People's Committee to direct the Department of Health and health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities to have solutions to prevent heat protection and avoid the situation where only on-demand medical examination and treatment areas and on-demand treatment rooms are equipped with air conditioners and fans.

Vietnam Social Security requires Directors of Social Security in the regions to seriously organize timely implementation, in accordance with regulations and ensure maximum benefits for health insurance participants.

According to the latest statistics of Vietnam Social Security, it is estimated that by June 2025, the number of people participating in health insurance nationwide will reach 96.46 million.

BANK ANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bao-dam-quyen-loi-cua-nguoi-benh-bao-hiem-y-te-trong-troi-nang-nong-post886708.html