From January 1, 2025, the regulation on dividing drug lists by hospital class will be abolished.

According to MSc. Vu Nu Anh, Deputy Director of the Health Insurance Department ( Ministry of Health ), in recent years, drugs have always been an important component and accounted for a large proportion of the total cost of medical examination and treatment under health insurance. Currently, the promulgation of the List and regulations on health insurance payment for drugs is being implemented according to Circular No. 20/2022.

After nearly 2 years of implementation, this circular has revealed a number of problems, requiring amendments, supplements and adjustments to suit the actual situation.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health issued a new circular (Circular 37) to amend and supplement new regulations to ease difficulties for hospitals and facilitate patients. The new circular takes effect from January 1, 2025.

The Circular has many new points, specifically, previously, drugs were used and paid for by health insurance at medical examination and treatment facilities according to hospital class including: Special class, Class I, Class II, Class III and Class IV hospitals; technical professional levels including: central, provincial, district and communal levels.

From January 1, 2025, hospitals will be able to use health insurance drugs equally. (Illustration photo)

The advantage of not dividing the drug list according to hospital class is that medical examination and treatment facilities can use all drugs in the list, in accordance with the scope of professional activities, diagnosis and treatment guidelines, regardless of hospital class or technical expertise level.

This also encourages medical examination and treatment facilities to develop their expertise and techniques; attract human resources and encourage the development of medical staff's capacity, especially creating conditions for the development of grassroots health care by ensuring fairness in access and payment of health insurance for drugs.

Not dividing the drug list by hospital class also helps limit the number of patients choosing to go to medical examination and treatment facilities with high technical expertise, reducing the overload situation at some medical examination and treatment facilities with high technical expertise.

The new Circular also adds new regulations on drug payment instructions such as payment regulations for drugs at commune health stations, contributing to increasing access to drugs for patients with chronic diseases when managed and treated at health stations, while creating a financial mechanism to encourage the development and improvement of professional capacity of staff at commune health stations.

Or payment regulations for chronic disease treatment drugs when the patient is being treated for another disease inpatient, to ensure that health insurance participants have continuous access to use and guarantee the right to health insurance payment for drugs. In addition, there are regulations on payment for drugs in special cases, contributing to creating flexibility in special situations such as natural disasters, wars, and catastrophes.

Nhu Loan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tu-1-1-2025-bo-quy-dinh-phan-chia-danh-muc-thuoc-theo-hang-benh-vien-ar908275.html