Vietnam and France sign cooperation agreement on health and pharmaceuticals

On January 23, Vietnam Social Security (VSS) announced that it and the French Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam have just signed a Memorandum of Understanding on comprehensive strategic cooperation.

Vietnam Social Security and the French Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam signed a Memorandum of Understanding on comprehensive strategic cooperation.

According to the memorandum, the two sides committed to cooperate in many areas, including: exchanging information and sharing experiences on solutions to increase revenue for the Health Insurance Fund (HIF), experience in implementing additional HI packages; improving capacity in assessing medical technology for application in building a list of drugs, medical supplies, and technical services covered by the HIF.

Strengthen communication, raise awareness of the community and medical staff on the safe, rational and effective use of drugs, ensure the effective use of the Health Insurance Fund and the rights of patients. Thereby, help optimize resources, improve the quality of medical services to ensure that people of both countries benefit from modern medical advances.

Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen Duc Hoa emphasized that the memorandum of understanding is not only a commitment to public health, but also an important milestone marking the shared responsibility and joint efforts in providing high-quality healthcare services to the people of both countries. Thereby, it contributes to the good relationship between Vietnam and France as the two countries have just celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.

According to the leader of Vietnam Social Security, the number of people participating in social insurance nationwide is currently about 18.26 million people; unemployment insurance is about 14.7 million people; health insurance is more than 93.3 million people, reaching a coverage rate of about 93.35% of the population.

Social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance funds have become the largest public financial funds. This is an extremely important premise in implementing the roadmap for universal health insurance, moving towards social insurance for all workers.

However, Mr. Hoa said: "In organizing and implementing the health insurance policy, the Vietnam Social Security agency also faces many difficulties such as ensuring the rights of health insurance participants to have full access to medicines, medical supplies, and technical services of quality, efficiency, safety, and in accordance with the payment capacity of the Health Insurance Fund; innovating the payment method for medical examination and treatment costs between the Health Insurance agency and medical facilities, and solutions to prevent abuse of the Social Security Fund...".

Mr. Olivier Brochet, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Vietnam, said that since 2018, the French Embassy in Vietnam and its health departments and associations have cooperated with the Vietnam Social Security in the fields of health and pharmaceuticals.

The signing of this memorandum of understanding is a continuation of past activities, demonstrating the increasingly close relationship between the two sides.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-va-phap-ky-ket-hop-tac-ve-y-te-duoc-pham-185240123172859281.htm