Develop a plan for universal free hospital care.

On average, the Health Insurance Fund covers 87-89% of the total cost of medical examinations and treatment covered by health insurance, and health insurance participants are responsible for co-paying 11-13%. Therefore, if hospital fees are waived, it will help alleviate the financial burden...

At the Ministry of Health headquarters, Professor Tran Van Thuan, Vice Minister of Health and Chairman of the National Medical Council, chaired a meeting with departments, divisions, institutes, and schools under the Ministry to discuss the overall implementation of the plan to provide free medical care to all citizens. This is an important step in realizing Resolution No. 72 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in people's healthcare, meeting the requirements of national development in the new era.

The scene at the meeting.

Representatives from the Health Insurance Department, the Planning and Finance Department, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management under the Ministry, and the Institutes and Schools under the Ministry discussed the contents that need to be implemented and completed by September 2025 regarding the drafting of the Universal Free Hospitalization Scheme. Specifically, this included the objectives, scope, target groups, theoretical framework, and experiences from several countries around the world .

The involvement of relevant units is needed in drafting the framework for the Project Development Plan, the accompanying component reports, and issuing official letters requesting feedback from units under the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries and agencies.

According to a World Bank report, medical and tuition fees account for 30-35% of the total expenditure of poor households in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, according to statistics from the Vietnam Social Insurance, the Health Insurance Fund covers an average of 87-89% of the total cost of medical examinations and treatment covered by health insurance, and health insurance participants are responsible for co-paying 11-13%. Therefore, if hospital fees are waived, it will help alleviate the financial burden and allow people to access basic healthcare services.

Ms. Tran Thi Trang, Director of the Health Insurance Department, spoke at the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan emphasized: General Secretary To Lam, in Announcement 176-TB/VPTW dated April 25, 2025, affirmed that health is the most precious asset of each citizen and of society as a whole, the most important foundation for everyone's happiness and the nation's development. Therefore, investing in protecting, caring for, and improving the health of the people is an investment in the development of the country.

Professor Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health and Chairman of the National Medical Council, emphasized: The Ministry of Health aims to prioritize the care and protection of people's health above all else.

Therefore, as the Standing agency responsible for drafting the Project, the Deputy Minister of Health assigned the Health Insurance Department as the focal point to coordinate with relevant units to urgently complete the Draft Project for submission to the Ministry's leadership; and to advise on the establishment of a Drafting Committee, which should include experts, scientists, relevant ministries and sectors, and representatives of international organizations in Vietnam.

Departments, Divisions, Schools, and Institutes are tasked with completing component reports on the practical situation of hospital fee collection, international models of service utilization and costs, reviewing relevant legal regulations, and reporting on the impact assessment of the policy when the Project is issued.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan affirmed: The Ministry of Health aims to prioritize the care and protection of people's health above all else. Therefore, the Ministry has been researching and developing a plan according to a roadmap, at each professional level, scope, and scale, with the goal of gradually reducing the burden of medical costs for the people, moving towards universal free hospital services by 2030-2035, and ensuring that all citizens have health insurance cards to access, participate in, and benefit from medical examination and treatment services.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/xay-dung-de-an-mien-vien-phi-toan-dan-post295530.html