Health insurance covers 81.7 percent of Vietnam’s population
Health insurance covered 81.7 percent of Vietnam’s population in 2016, 2.7 percent higher than the target set by the Prime Minister, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).
Medical workers give advice to a patient at the general hospital of Cho Moi district, Bac Kan province (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Health insurance covered 81.7 percent ofVietnam’s population in 2016, 2.7 percent higher than the target set by thePrime Minister, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).
As of December 31, about 75.9 million people werecovered by health insurance, VSS Deputy General Director Nguyen Minh Thao saidat a meeting on administrative reforms and setting tasks for 2017 on January 3.
He said the insurance sector paid medicalexpenses for 144 million times in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 10.8percent. The estimated 69.41 trillion VND (3.05 billion USD) paid by insuranceexceeded the medical insurance fund by 5.13 trillion VND (225.7 million USD).
Many localities blamed the exceeding on thescheduled increase of healthcare service fees and frauds made by both insurancebuyers and medical establishments.
Thao said last year, the VSS and its localagencies stepped up streamlining administrative procedures and applyinginformation technology. While the number of administrative procedures has beenreduced to 32, it now takes businesses only 45 hours per year to work with thesocial insurance bodies to process relevant procedures.
The sector is set to push forward withadministrative reforms and IT application in 2017 to develop a modern,professional and effective social insurance system.
Social, health and unemployment insurance covered a total of 76.1 millionpeople last year, rising by 5.9 million from 2015. Up to 12.9 million peopleparticipated in mandatory social insurance, and 203,000 others bought voluntaryone. Unemployment insurance covered 11.1 million people.-VNA
As of August 2016, health insurance expenditure by 37 localities exceeded their designated expenses by over 3.4 trillion VND. If the trend is not tackled, imbalance will occur in 2019.
Public health insurance was discussed at a recent conference held by the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission and the Vietnam Social Insurance Agency (VSIA) in the central city of Da Nang.
The insurance market in Vietnam is poised for robust growth in 2017, bolstered by the anticipated improved economic outlook, along with the Government’s policies of promoting the services market.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has emphasised the need to provide better health care service for the elderly by developing a standardised caring system in health facilities and in the community, especially for those in rural and mountainous areas.
The Government has targeted over 90 percent of nationwide population covered with health insurance by 2020. Despite preferential policies to encourage citizens to buy health insurance, the number of health insurance card holders, especially household health insurance, remains low due to red tape.
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All eligible patients will receive surgical interventions and post-operative care in accordance with Vietnamese medical standards and global care protocols.
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This case marks the ninth fetal cardiac intervention conducted in HCM City, and it was considered the most technically demanding to date due to the fetus’s extremely early gestational age and the severity of the condition as diagnosed with aortic atresia.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place one day after the VNVC Vaccine JS Company and Sanofi Group exchanged cooperation documents on vaccine production technology transfer under the witness of State President Luong Cuong and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Vietnam’s traditional medicine took centre stage at the International Congress Biopharm Nonclinical Development, BioNCiD 2025, held on May 25-26 in the Cuban city of Varadero, amid growing global interest in sustainable healthcare solutions.
Under the agreement, VNVC and Sanofi will gradually implement technology transfers to enable domestic production of several key Sanofi vaccines that are widely used in Vietnam. In addition, Sanofi will support VNVC in training human resources and quality management in vaccine research and manufacturing.
Despite the ongoing global circulation and unpredictable developments of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organisation (WHO) hasn’t issued new warnings about COVID-19, said the Ministry of Health.
Medical workers give advice to a patient at the general hospital of Cho Moi district, Bac Kan province (Photo: VNA) 
