Ministry of Health responds to proposal to open medical examination and treatment lines from commune to central level, eliminating hospital transfer papers

The Ministry of Health has responded to voters' petitions to open up medical examination and treatment from commune to central level, eliminating the procedure of requesting a hospital transfer certificate.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan visits patients at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital - Photo: MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has responded in writing to the petitions sent by voters from several provinces after the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly.

Proposal to open medical examination and treatment from commune to central level

In particular, voters of An Giang province continue to propose connecting medical examination and treatment from the commune level to the central level, especially for those who have participated in health insurance without having to apply for a hospital transfer certificate.

Responding to this content, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the health insurance examination and treatment route is established to ensure that patients receive treatment appropriate to their health condition, in which cases exceeding the treatment capacity of the grassroots level will be transferred to higher levels.

Decentralization contributes to reducing overload at upper-level medical examination and treatment facilities, limiting the need to share beds and improving treatment effectiveness.

The policy of connecting medical examination and treatment under health insurance has been implemented since 2016, especially allowing ethnic minorities and people living in island communes and island districts to connect directly from the commune level to central hospitals for inpatient examination and treatment.

Responding to voters' recommendations, from January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Health has issued a list of 62 serious and rare diseases, allowing health insurance participants with these diseases to be directly transferred to central hospitals without the need for referral procedures.

Proposal for retired cadres aged 80 to enjoy 100% of medical examination and treatment costs

Another content, voters proposed to consider allowing retired cadres aged 80 to enjoy 100% of medical examination and treatment costs within the scope of payment under the Law on Health Insurance, similar to the elderly subjects prescribed in Decree No. 20/2021.

Responding to this content, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan cited Decree 20/2021 of the Government regulating social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries and the elderly receiving social allowances.

Specifically, including poor households, without support or supporter receiving social benefits; from 75-80 years old, poor/near-poor households, living in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with special difficulties.

80 years of age or older, no pension, social insurance benefits or social assistance; poor household, not eligible to live in the community, eligible to enter a social assistance facility but receiving care in the community.

According to the provisions of the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance, monthly social allowance beneficiaries are covered 100% of medical examination and treatment costs by the Health Insurance Fund within the scope of benefits and benefit levels, in order to support vulnerable groups facing many difficulties in life.

Regarding the proposal to consider allowing retired cadres aged 80 to enjoy 100% of medical examination and treatment costs within the scope and level of benefits for retired cadres - the group of subjects with monthly pensions, the Ministry of Health acknowledges and shares the wishes of voters.

However, according to the Ministry of Health, in the current period, adjusting the payment level to 100% for the group of retired cadres needs to be carefully studied and evaluated to ensure the ability to balance the Health Insurance Fund and maintain the stability of the Party and State's social security policies.

Minister Dao Hong Lan informed that the Ministry is currently coordinating with ministries, branches and localities to complete the draft and issue a new circular (replacing Circular 33/2015 guiding the functions and tasks of commune, ward and town health stations) to improve the capacity of commune health stations in providing basic and essential health services.

This is to meet the health care needs of people at the grassroots level in accordance with the characteristics and different economic and social development situations of each locality, in response to the model of a two-level local government organization system.

THANH CHUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-y-te-phan-hoi-kien-nghi-thong-tuyen-kham-chua-benh-tu-xa-den-trung-uong-bo-giay-chuyen-vien-20251005145257132.htm