Tired of health insurance medical examination

Queuing from early morning, past noon still not yet turn

At Cho Ray Hospital, almost every day of the week, even though it is past 11am, there are still hundreds of people waiting in line for their turn to see a doctor, most of whom are elderly people and people with many underlying diseases. Mr. Nguyen Van Ut (65 years old, living in Tra Vinh province) said that he had hepatitis, osteoarthritis, gout, diabetes and high blood pressure at the same time... His illness became worse, so his son took him to Cho Ray Hospital at 3:30am, but when he arrived, he still could not escape the scene of having to queue and wait tiredly.

People waiting for health insurance medical examination and treatment at the Orthopedic Trauma Hospital. Photo: THANH AN

At An Binh Hospital, the same overload situation occurs day after day. Mr. Nguyen Van Trinh (36 years old, living in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City) lamented that he took his mother to the clinic at 5 am, holding a stack of clinical referral forms and waiting patiently because the queue number was hundreds of times longer than the one being examined. “My mother had a stroke and had to use a wheelchair. Every month, she went to the hospital for a check-up and to get medicine. Every time my mother went to the hospital, it would take half a day. The longest waiting time was still waiting to register for a medical examination, followed by the medical examination and getting medicine. One person went for a check-up but two people were tired,” Mr. Trinh shared.

The Ministry of Health has just issued Document No. 2909/BYT-BH on the implementation of initial medical examination and treatment registration, transfer of medical examination and treatment facilities and re-examination appointment cards at medical examination and treatment facilities. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health requires that initial health insurance medical examination and treatment registration and patient transfer must not generate additional procedures, causing inconvenience to patients...

Not only general hospitals but also specialized hospitals at the end of the line, patients queue up to see a doctor in crowded examination and treatment areas. At the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital..., although it was past noon, many patients still had not yet had their turn to see a doctor despite lining up early.

Most of the patients come from the provinces, such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang, Vinh Long... From the clinic to the main hall, the rows of chairs are filled with patients, next to them is a long line of people waiting for their turn. The wait is too long and tiring, many patients have to sit on the floor and fall asleep because they have waited for more than 2-3 hours and still have not been called...

Not familiar with online medical registration

Recently, hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have applied solutions to reduce waiting time for patients, such as: regular check-ups (no lunch break); check-ups earlier than scheduled; check-ups by appointment; increase examination tables... Many hospitals have implemented online check-up registration, placing QR codes to install online appointment booking apps in each patient's prescription... However, these solutions are not feasible, few people have the habit of choosing to register for online medical examination.

People wait to be examined at the Health Insurance examination area, An Binh Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City (photo taken at noon on May 19). Photo: HOANG HUNG

According to statistics from Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, the number of patients registering for online examinations only accounts for about 13.7%, although the hospital has actively encouraged people to do so. Meanwhile, at People's Hospital 115, each day it receives about 1,000-1,200 health insurance examinations, but only about 200-240 register for online examinations (accounting for about 20%), and most patients come to the hospital and then register for health insurance examinations...

Explaining the above reasons, doctors said that most patients who come to the final hospitals are from the provinces who have moved to Ho Chi Minh City and do not understand the hospital's improved medical examination and treatment process; patients who come to the hospitals are mainly middle-aged and elderly people, have little access to technology, and mainly use social networking platforms for normal communication. In addition, some patients are worried about having to pay fees and are afraid of being scammed when registering for online examinations...

Meanwhile, according to Dr. Diep Bao Tuan, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, the number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer is increasing, leading to an increase in the number of patients coming to the hospital for examination and treatment. In addition, most of the patients coming to the hospital are from other provinces, often need to be examined within the day, so they often come to the hospital early in the morning... To reduce the burden on patients, the hospital has come up with many solutions, such as organizing the reception and examination of patients.

from 5am; increase the number of radiotherapy sessions starting early in the morning and ending around 12pm; organize surgeries outside of office hours and on Saturdays; chemotherapy outside of office hours on Saturdays... At the same time, the hospital encourages patients to use the app and website to make an appointment. In addition, the hospital also organizes the flow and makes appointments by applying a smart appointment system; prioritizes separate examinations for the elderly, patients with serious conditions, children...

Proposal to increase prescription time for some chronic diseases

According to medical experts, many patients with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, blood pressure, arthritis, etc. have been treated stably but still have to go to the hospital every month to wait for their medication according to their appointment schedule, leading to serious overload. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the time for prescribing drugs for some chronic diseases, helping patients not to waste time traveling, saving time and costs... At the same time, reduce the burden on hospitals in health insurance examination and treatment for people with chronic diseases who have been treated stably; especially reduce costs for the health insurance fund when not having to pay for unnecessary tests...

MINH NAM

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/met-moi-kham-benh-bao-hiem-y-te-post795974.html