Must spend correctly and sufficiently on health insurance examination and treatment

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized this requirement at a working session with the Ministry of Health, the Government Office , the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, representatives of public and private hospitals, and relevant associations on the draft Decree amending Decree No. 146/2018/ND-CP detailing guidelines for implementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance (HI), on the afternoon of March 15.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that the draft Decree must thoroughly grasp the principle of health insurance, which is to share risks and focus treatment resources on the unfortunate and disadvantaged - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

The Deputy Prime Minister hopes to hear opinions from experts, representatives of public and private hospitals, and those affected by the decree, "whether all current problems and difficulties have been resolved or not."

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that the proposal to remove the regulation on the total payment of health insurance treatment costs at medical facilities is to ensure the rights of patients with health insurance - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan reported on issues with different opinions in the draft amended Decree: Requesting the social insurance agency to inspect, evaluate, and determine in advance the cost of medical examination and treatment before providing treatment to patients; removing the regulation on the health insurance fund paying no more than the total amount of health insurance payment at medical facilities; appraising, controlling in advance and notifying medical facilities in case of exceeding the assigned health insurance expenditure estimate; authenticating electronic data on health insurance costs...

General Director of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen The Manh discussed the difficulties if the health insurance appraisal agency checks, evaluates, and determines the health insurance treatment costs in advance before performing expensive medical services and techniques - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

General Director of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen The Manh and Director of Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha expressed their opinions on the difficulties and shortcomings in implementing regulations on total payment of health insurance medical examination and treatment costs; checking, evaluating, and pre-determining health insurance medical examination and treatment costs for high-cost medical services and techniques before treating patients.

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed the consistent policy of the Party and State in caring for and protecting people's health, as stipulated in the law on healthcare and health insurance.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that the draft Decree must thoroughly understand the principle of health insurance, which is to share risks and concentrate treatment resources for the unfortunate and disadvantaged.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested to improve medical ethics, provide professional guidance, and strengthen training so that medical staff can treat health insurance patients appropriately and effectively - Photo: VGP/ Minh Khoi

Vietnam Social Security balances the health insurance fund based on statistics and specific assessments, avoiding the situation of fund surplus but lack of health insurance treatment funding; at the same time, building diverse health insurance packages, suitable for the income levels of different groups of people.

The health sector must have professional guidance and scientific, transparent and reasonable treatment regimens; urgently build and connect electronic health record databases, and exchange test results... with the goal of controlling the quality of patient treatment, but not abusing expensive treatment techniques.

Regarding some specific contents, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed to absorb, study and consider removing the regulation on the total payment of health insurance treatment costs at medical facilities. However, the health sector must improve medical ethics, provide professional guidance and enhance training so that medical staff can treat health insurance patients appropriately and effectively.

"In the coming time, there must be a breakthrough in investment in primary health care in terms of human resources, organizational structure, task assignment, etc. to perform the function of primary health care, chronic disease management, and providing high-quality health services so that people do not flock to upper-level health care," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

Vietnam Social Security needs to coordinate with the health sector to build and continuously update the database on health insurance activities; collect statistics and screening to focus resources on appropriate medical services and techniques for health insurance patients. This is the basis for assessing, controlling, and warning cases of exceeding the estimated health insurance expenditure effectively but not rigidly or mechanically.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized: We must spend the right amount and the right amount for health insurance. Ensuring health care for the people is a pillar of social security.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Vietnam Social Security, and relevant ministries, branches, and agencies to urgently complete the draft Decree and soon submit it to the Government for promulgation.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/pho-thu-tuong-tran-hong-ha-phai-chi-dung-chi-du-cho-kham-chua-benh-bhyt-351625.html