Vietnam Social Security proposes the Ministry of Health to give opinions on resolving problems in health insurance payment with technical services performed by borrowed and ordered machines

22/05/2022 02:15 PM


On April 12, 2018, the Ministry of Health issued Official Letter No. 2009/BYT-KH-TC requesting Vietnam Social Security to direct social security agencies at all levels to continue paying medical care costs covered by health insurance for technical services performed by machines that are lent by the winning units of materials and chemicals according to the contractor selection results according to the provisions of the Bidding Law and signed contracts.

On the basis of the guidance of the Ministry of Health in Official Letter No. 2009/BYT-KH-TC, the Vietnam Social Security has issued a document guiding the social security agencies of provinces and cities, those of the Ministry of Defense and those of the People's Public Security to pay the expenses for medical treatment using health insurance and technical services performed by borrowed machines.

Illustrative image - Internet source

On May 9, 2022, the Ministry of Health issued Official Letter No. 2348/BYT-KH-TC on the annulment of Official Dispatch No. 2009/BYT-KH-TC mentioned above. Following the direction of the Ministry of Health in Official Letter No. 2348/BYT-KH-TC, Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has issued Official Letter No. 1261/BHXH-CSYT dated May 12, 2022 and sent to social security agencies of provinces, cities, the social security office of Ministry of National Defence and that of the People's Public Security on stopping payments under the health insurance regime for costs of technical services performed by machines borrowed from the winning companies for chemical supplies.

Official Dispatch No. 2009/BYT-KH-TC of the Ministry of Health is a document guiding payment of technical services using borrowed machines from the winning units for materials and chemicals. Official Letter No. 6807/BYT-BH of the Ministry of Health is a copy sent to the Notice of conclusion of the briefing meeting between the Ministry of Health and the VSS, which does not contain specific instructions on the implementation. Therefore, when the Ministry of Health abolished Official Letter No. 2009/BYT-KHTC, the VSS issued a document directing social security agencies of provinces and cities to stop paying based on the health insurance regime for costs of technical services performed by machines borrowed from the winning companies for chemical materials. However, at present, the VSS has received petitions from many medical facilities and the Provincial People's Committee, requesting to continue to be covered with the cost of technical services performed by borrowed machines machines according to Official Letter No. 2009/BYT-KHTC of the Ministry of Health to the end of the validity of the current contract.

The view of VSS is to always accompany health care facilities, and promptly remove difficulties and obstacles for medical facilities in order to ensure benefits for participants of health insurance. As a result, the VSS has had immediately sent a document to the Ministry of Health proposing the following contents:

- Give opinions on the payment of medical and health care costs, covered by health insurance for the technical services by using machines that are lent by the winning companies for materials and chemicals under the contract signed with the medical facility.

- Promptly guide the units to expeditiously change from the form of borrowing to the forms specified in the Government's Decree No. 151/2017/ND-CP dated December 26, 2017; determine the mandatory route to complete the above-mentioned form conversion.

As soon as the Ministry of Health issues a new document guiding this content, the VSS will guide the social security agencies of provinces and cities, the social security offices of the Ministry of Defence and the People's Public Security for urgent implementation./.

VSS