People do procedures at Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital - Photo: DUYEN PHAN
Faced with the severe heat and complaints from the people, Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has requested the entire health sector to prevent the situation of only using air conditioning in medical examination and treatment areas upon request.
The health insurance fund has paid for maintenance and repair costs.
At the same time, Vietnam Social Security also requires health insurance medical facilities to ensure minimum physical facilities for patients, including heat protection with air conditioning and fans.
Notably, the Vietnam Social Security agency affirmed that the cost of maintenance and repair of air conditioning systems, electric fans, etc. has been fully included in the price of medical services that the Health Insurance Fund is paying. Therefore, hospitals are responsible for using this resource to serve patients.
According to Vietnam Social Security, many people have complained that some hospitals and health insurance treatment areas do not have air conditioning or have it but it cannot be used, causing patients to endure the intense heat while in the hospital.
This agency has requested the Social Insurance of provinces and cities to coordinate with the Department of Health and hospitals to report and rectify the situation so that "only service rooms have air conditioning".
Social Insurance also cited that the price of health insurance medical examination and treatment services includes the cost of equipment maintenance and repair, including air conditioners, electric fans, heating lamps... in examination areas, inpatient treatment rooms, procedure rooms, operating rooms...
According to current regulations, the highest price for a health insurance bed per day is 867,500 VND (special-class hospital), the lowest is 64,100 VND (commune health station).
In which, for internal medicine and surgery beds (most common in medical examination and treatment) the price ranges from 150,000 - 330,000 VND/bed/day.
According to Vietnam Social Security, current regulations require an equivalent cost ratio (3-5%) in service prices, depending on the hospital class, to serve maintenance and upgrading activities of facilities.
Thus, for each health insurance bed day, the hospital will be charged from 4,500 VND to about 16,500 VND (depending on the price and hospital class) for the cost of repairing, upgrading, expanding the examination area, treatment departments or purchasing additional, replacing air conditioners, fans, heating lamps...
This means that air conditioner repair and replacement is only a part of the 3-5% budget. This budget includes all repairs, upgrades, and expansions to the medical examination area...
Fair treatment, okay?
Immediately after the above information was published, many readers expressed their support for the request of Vietnam Social Security. Readers believe that the right to be treated in a cool, air-conditioned environment is legitimate, regardless of whether it is a regular room or a service room.
Reader Nhuannguyen shared: "The heat makes me have to lie on a hot plastic mat, the whole room only has one ceiling fan to keep the mosquitoes away. How miserable."
Meanwhile, reader Truong expressed: "Only when you go to the hospital like a normal person can you understand. There is no air conditioning, so family members have to carry extra fans. I hope the authorities will conduct an undercover investigation."
"A 6-bed hospital room, the insurance covers 350,000 VND/day/bed, or 2.1 million VND/day/room - more expensive than a 5-star hotel. But without air conditioning, who can stand it?", another reader compared.
"All patients are treated fairly, with active competition in examination and treatment between doctors and hospitals. In public hospitals, management must be tightened, revenue and expenditure must be transparent," reader toan****@gmail.com commented.
You should check if there is air conditioning in reality to avoid the situation of requesting but not doing it.
However, many people doubt the feasibility of equipping all departments with air conditioners, when hospitals are now having to be financially independent, balancing each income and expenditure. Some hospitals are even "tightening their belts" to pay their staff.
"Does insurance pay for electricity? Who buys and repairs the air conditioner? Now the hospital is autonomous and has cut staff allowances, so where is the money? As for medicine, if you buy 1 dong, the insurance will only pay 1 dong.
Meanwhile, the hospital bears all the costs such as transportation, storage (24/7 cold storage), staff on duty, security, maintenance... hundreds of expenses.
But for many years now, the insurance has not supported the hospital with any money, leaving it to fend for itself. Now with the air conditioning issue, the staff will probably not get paid," said a VT reader.
Another reader also shared: "Doctors also want their offices to be cool so they can be clear-minded when treating patients. But in reality, in many places, when the air conditioner is broken, even doctors are drenched in sweat while working."
A reader believes that the request of Vietnam Social Security is reasonable, because in principle, the hospital has been paid for the operating costs of the equipment in the service price. However, the actual implementation will depend on the allocation of resources, the correct calculation of expenses, and the supervision of implementation at each medical facility.
Reader Nguyen Ba Kiem wrote: "If health insurance has paid for it, then any room without air conditioning must have it installed, and if the air conditioner breaks down, there must be a valid reason."
Some other readers also suggested that Vietnam Social Security and the Ministry of Health need to conduct actual inspections and have clear regulations to avoid giving instructions "for the sake of it".
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cham-dut-phai-them-tien-moi-co-dieu-hoa-ban-doc-chi-ra-ca-phong-co-cai-quat-duoi-muoi-khong-bay-20250616100842328.htm
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