Having four illnesses and then requesting confirmation for only one is too rigid.

(NLĐO) – Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, has requested that all obstacles in implementing Resolution 29 be resolved definitively this December.

On the afternoon of December 24th, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, chaired a working session with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Health , and several related departments and units regarding the implementation of Resolution No. 29/2024/NQ-HĐND of the Provincial People's Council (Resolution 29).

Previously, several media outlets reported on the difficulties faced by many people in Quang Nam province who had to go to medical facilities to confirm their health status in order to receive benefits under Resolution 29.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, chaired the meeting.

Opening the meeting, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan stated that Resolution 29 of the Provincial People's Council is a highly humane policy of the locality. However, during the implementation process, some officials worked too rigidly, causing frustration for the people. He cited an example where a person suffered from four illnesses, but officials instructed them to obtain confirmation for only one illness included in the list of diseases covered by the resolution, an unconventional approach that caused inconvenience to the people.

According to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Nam province, the province previously issued Resolution No. 43 stipulating the level of support for disadvantaged groups in the area, including those suffering from serious illnesses.

Resolution 43 does not specify each category of diseases eligible for monthly allowances and health insurance benefits, but only mentions "people suffering from serious illnesses". During implementation, in addition to the 42 diseases on the list of serious illnesses eligible for benefits, there are also diseases that the Department of Health and district-level health centers have confirmed as similar to one of the 42 serious illnesses.

Therefore, the entire province had 5,180 individuals with similar illnesses receiving subsidies under Resolution No. 43, resulting in a significant increase in funding for 2023 and the first 10 months of 2024.

In October 2024, the Quang Nam Provincial People's Council issued Resolution 29. This included an appendix listing 42 serious illnesses eligible for benefits. The resolution also allocated approximately 95 billion VND per year for budget expenditures.

Ms. Doan Thi Hoai Nhi, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Nam province, spoke at the working session.

According to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Nam province, currently, medical facilities diagnose diseases using ICD-10 codes, resulting in many disease names not matching those in the list of serious illnesses; some diseases are very close to the correct names; and very few diseases have names that are exactly the same as those in the list of 42 diseases, so the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs officials do not accept the applications.

At the same time, due to a lack of medical expertise, officials are unable to explain things clearly to the public. Furthermore, some officials and civil servants have not been thorough in their communication and guidance, causing inconvenience and frustration for the people.

According to Ms. Doan Thi Hoai Nhi, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Nam province, there are currently 4,391 individuals who previously benefited from policies under Resolution 43 and are now submitting applications for processing under Resolution 29. Some of these illnesses are similar but do not match the names listed in the list of 42 critical illnesses.

Ms. Tran Thi Bich Thu, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Council

Ms. Tran Thi Bich Thu, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Committee of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Council, stated that in reality, the 42 categories of serious illnesses in the appendix of Resolution 29 are taken from the list of 42 serious illnesses in Government Decree 134.

She argued that the nature of the illnesses described as "similar" to those listed in the 42 list of serious diseases is that they are all life-threatening illnesses, differing only in name. Therefore, these individuals should receive support in accordance with Resolution 29.

Ms. Thu stated that Resolution 43 of the Provincial People's Council stipulates a budget expenditure of approximately 30 billion VND per year. In 2023, this amount more than doubled to about 77 billion VND. Meanwhile, Resolution 29 stipulates a budget expenditure of approximately 95 billion VND per year. Therefore, adding the 4,391 beneficiaries transferred from Resolution 43 would not "overrun" the projected budget, as these are not newly arising beneficiaries.

Ms. Thu believes that the difficulties people face stem from the fact that the health sector has not yet issued specific guidelines on diseases that are essentially life-threatening but whose names do not match those in the list of 42 diseases, causing confusion among units in implementation.

Therefore, she suggested that the Department of Health redefine the list of diseases and provide guidance that accurately reflects the nature of the 42 critical illnesses so that localities have a basis for implementation.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan requested the Department of Health and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to coordinate and issue a specific guidance document, which must clearly state the list of serious illnesses and diseases requiring regular and costly treatment, so that localities can implement it in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 29.

According to Mr. Tuan, those who previously received health insurance cards under Resolution 43 must continue to receive health insurance support; their health insurance cards cannot be canceled when transitioning to Resolution 29.

Mr. Tuan affirmed that the essence of Resolution 29 is to support the right people, the right target groups, and only address those who are truly vulnerable. These include people who are genuinely struggling, suffering from serious illnesses requiring regular and expensive treatment.

"Given the province's circumstances, we have to 'make do with what we have.' We're not planning to expand the scope of beneficiaries if we don't have enough funds (95 billion VND). However, if the beneficiaries are truly those with serious illnesses, we must reluctantly increase the budget to support them," Mr. Tuan said, and requested that all obstacles be resolved and that local authorities be guided and supported in implementing the regulations in Resolution 29 by December 2024.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bi-4-benh-yeu-cau-xac-nhan-1-benh-la-qua-may-moc-196241224182721903.htm