The long-term goal is that all Vietnamese people have free medical examination and treatment.

At the workshop "Further enhancing patient rights in diagnosis and treatment" held recently in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that the Draft Amendment to the Law on Health Insurance is being urgently developed by the Ministry with a vision to 2035. The ultimate goal is to gradually move towards free medical examination and treatment for all people, in accordance with the humane and superior orientation of our country's political system.

Increase health insurance coverage rate to 100%

Accordingly, the implementation roadmap will be divided into two phases. In which, the phase from 2026-2030 will increase the health insurance coverage rate to 100%, ensuring that all citizens have a health insurance card.

Ensure 90% of people have full access to preventive health services and disease screening. 100% of people receive annual health check-ups.

Deploy and complete personal electronic health records, linked with citizen identification codes, to serve lifelong health management.

Reduce the co-payment rate from patients in health insurance services to below 10%.

Reduce out-of-pocket payments to below 20%, moving towards better financial protection against health risks.

Next is the period from 2031-2035 to expand the scope and level of health insurance payment to gradually exempt all medical examination and treatment costs.

Ensure that all people, regardless of income or place of residence, have access to quality health services.

Strengthening preventive medicine, early screening for non-communicable diseases, reducing disease burden.

Complete the grassroots health system, especially at the commune and ward levels, to ensure equity in health care.

The role of social security pillars, strengthening trust in the health system

Deputy Minister Thuan affirmed that amending the Law on Health Insurance is an important political task to ensure the vital interests of the people, while promoting the role of health insurance as a pillar in the social security system. This is an inevitable step to realize a fair, effective, and humane healthcare model.

By the end of 2023, the health insurance participation rate will reach more than 94% of the population. The health insurance fund currently has a surplus of nearly 40,000 billion VND, which is an important financial basis to expand benefits for participants, especially vulnerable groups such as the poor, ethnic minorities, the elderly and children.

However, to ensure sustainability, we will continue to research, review, and recalculate the health insurance premium rate in a flexible manner, suitable to the payment capacity of each group of subjects, while balancing the payment capacity from the state budget.

Along with promoting digital transformation, improving the efficiency of medical examination and treatment; reforming health finance, the Ministry of Health is actively promoting digital transformation with many new technology platforms such as: electronic health records, cashless payment systems, remote medical examination and treatment platforms, and connecting national medical data.

According to the Deputy Minister of Health, technology will be a powerful support tool to help reduce the burden on the upper level, strengthen primary health care and shorten the time for diagnosis and treatment. People will be served better, more transparently, and especially will no longer have to bear high costs due to prolonged illness.

At the workshop, representatives of international organizations, experts and local leaders all expressed high consensus on the direction of amending the Law on Health Insurance. This is not only a technical solution but also a policy demonstrating the special concern of the Party and State for people's health - a prerequisite for the country's sustainable development.

Quynh Anh

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/muc-tieu-dai-han-la-moi-nguoi-dan-viet-nam-deu-duoc-kham-chua-benh-mien-phi-post548205.html