Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Despite the number of people covered by healthinsurance rising in Vietnam, the abuse of health services and the healthinsurance fund is still a challenge for the country.

Le Van Kham, director of the Department of Health Insurance under the Ministryof Health (MoH), made the statement at a conference on December 12 in Hanoi toreview five years of the Social Health Insurance Law and make recommendationsfor the revised law.

More than 83.5 million people across Vietnam were covered by health insuranceby the end of last year, representing 88.5 percent of the population, Khamsaid.
The number of healthinsurance holders has exceeded the goal set by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucof reaching 80 percent of the population joining social insurance by the end of2020.

However, he pointed out several common health service abuses, including theprescription of unnecessary high-tech tests and health centres asking patientsto pay for medicine covered by health insurance.

Some facilities provide medical technical services to patients not inaccordance with professional procedures issued by the Ministry of Health orpractitioners did not have necessary certificates.

Some patients were hospitalised when it was not necessary or had theirtreatment at the hospital prolonged, he said.

Addressing the conference, Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health, saidhealth insurance was an important social policy of the Party and the State, afinancial mechanism in the healthcare sector for the sake of equity, efficiencyand protection of people’s health.

The quality of health check-ups and treatment with health insurance hadimproved, he said.

People have access to modern technical service and new and effective types ofdrugs which helped them overcome sickness and fatal disease.

The health insurance fund has become a basic financial source for the operationof hospitals and health facilities, Son said, adding that the health insurancepolicy had ensured risk sharing among health insurance participants.

He said that there were still shortcomings with the Social Health Insurance.

He cited unspecific guidance documents and inconsistencies between the law andother legal documents related to health insurance. The low competence of healthfacilities and their staff was also a problem.

Therefore, he said, it was essential to revise the law.

One of contents of the draft Health Insurance Law amended by the MoH was theestablishment of an independent health insurance assessment agency, separatefrom the current Vietnam Social Security.

The ministry also suggested setting up a National Advisory Council whoseoperation would be decided by the Government.

According to Kham, the organisation of an independent agency will help ensurethe transparency and objectiveness of the assessment while the NationalAdvisory Council will ensure the Social Health Insurance Law is carried out ina consistent manner./.