Promoting Experience Sharing in Health Insurance between Vietnam and Cambodia

Attending the meeting were representatives from leadership of several units under VSS. Representing Cambodia were members of the NPCA delegation, including leaders and experts in the fields of inspection and monitoring, finance, technological infrastructure, social security policy analysis, and representatives from the World Bank in Vietnam (WB).

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director General of VSS, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa emphasized that, the visit and working session of the NPCA delegation hold practical significance, opening up opportunities for professional cooperation in social security and public healthcare.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa stated, Vietnam and Cambodia are neighboring countries with a long-standing, close relationship and comprehensive cooperation across many fields. In regional forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN and the ASEAN Social Security Association, the social security offices of both countries have actively exchanged experiences, gradually improving the effectiveness of policy implementation, and working towards building a people-centered social security system. In this context, strengthening bilateral cooperation in HI, and HI assessment and healthcare cost payment, is of significant importance and meets practical demands.

Introducing the VSS system, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa said that VSS is an agency under the Ministry of Finance, tasked with implementing SI & HI policies, managing and utilizing insurance funds, and contributing to the development and refinement of related policies and legal frameworks. The VSS  system is organized vertically, from the central to local levels, ensuring uniform and seamless policy implementation to serve citizens nationwide.

In the social security system, HI acts as a crucial pillar, reflecting strong humanitarian values and the principle of risk-sharing within the community. Following years of coordinated implementation efforts, by the end of 2025, the HI coverage rate reached over 95.16% of the population, equivalent to more than 97 million people, thus achieving the goal set for 2030 under Resolution No. 42-NQ/TW ahead of schedule. Annually, the HI fund covers healthcare costs for hundreds of millions of people. In 2025 alone, there were over 195 million medical examinations and treatments recorded, with total claimed expenditures of approximately 163.53 trillion VND, significantly reducing the financial burden of healthcare costs for individuals.

Alongside expanding coverage, fund management has consistently been emphasized, focusing on safety, efficiency, and transparency. Specifically, the assessment and payment of HI-covered healthcare costs under HI are identified as a central task, playing a pivotal role in ensuring the benefits of participants and the rational utilization of the fund's resources. According to Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa, this is an area where VSS has accumulated extensive practical experience and is ready to share with international partners.

Notably, VSS is actively promoting administrative procedure reform and driving comprehensive digital transformation. Currently, VSS has  managed and operated the National Database on Insurance, a critical data platform supporting national digital transformation. This database has been standardized, verified, and connected with approximately 13,000 healthcare facilities across the country.

In the HI sector, an electronic HI claims assessment system has been uniformly implemented, enabling the reception, analysis, cross-referencing, and control of healthcare data nationwide. The data integration between social security offices and healthcare facilities not only enhance the efficiency of healthcare cost payments but also contribute to preventing and detecting abuse and fraud involving the fund, while simultaneously facilitating citizens' access to and use of healthcare services.

VSS’s Deputy Director General expressed appreciation for Cambodia's efforts in perfecting its social security system, promoting the application of information technology in HI-covered examination & treatment and moving towards universal healthcare coverage. He affirmed that VSS is ready to share its experiences in policy development and implementation, fund management, as well as the application of IT in medical review and payment of healthcare costs.

Speaking at the working session, Mr. Pheakdey Sambo, Director General of the NPCA, thanked VSS for their warm reception. He highly commended Vietnam's achievements in expanding HI coverage, building a modern data system, and improving the efficiency of managing and paying for healthcare services.

Mr. Pheakdey Sambo stated that Cambodia is actively reforming its health and social security systems, enhancing the use of IT, and aiming to ensure citizens have access to essential healthcare services at affordable costs. In this process, Vietnam's experience, particularly in data management and cost control for HI, holds significant reference value.

The NPCA delegation, comprised of experts from various fields, signifies Cambodia's comprehensive interest in refining healthcare payment mechanisms and ensuring sustainable health financing. This also serves as a foundation for deeper discussions on future cooperation between the two sides

Within the framework of the working session, both parties introduced their respective models for implementing HI  policies and exchanged experiences in managing and utilizing funds, the processes of assessing, monitoring, and paying healthcare costs, and solutions for applying IT and big data to serve participants. Specialized units of VSS also shared specific details with the NPCA delegation on related matters. Both sides also discussed the difficulties and challenges encountered during policy implementation, especially against the backdrop of increasing healthcare demands and rising medical costs. This necessitates enhancing the efficiency of managing and utilizing the HI fund.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Hoa expressed his belief that with a spirit of cooperation, sharing, and a focus on the benefits of the people, the working session will contribute to enhancing mutual understanding and creating a foundation for the two sides to further expand cooperation in the fields of HI, and assessment and payment of healthcare costs.

Both sides agreed to continue exchanges, strengthening coordination, and exploring and implementing appropriate cooperation activitiesin the coming time, thereby contributing to improving the effectiveness of health insurance policies and moving towards the goal universal health coverage in a fair and sustainable manner.

According to the plan, from May 19th to 21st, the NPCA delegation will continue to visit and work with VSS and some related units to gain a deeper understanding of the organizational structure, functions, duties, and development strategy of VSS; the HI system and the progress of universal health coverage implementation; the payment mechanism for healthcare service providers; as well as digital transformation solutions in management, assessment, and payment of healthcare costs. In addition, the delegation will also learn about customer care activities, protecting the rights of HI participants, including the mechanism for receiving and processing feedback and recommendations from the people, contributing to improving the management process and enhancing service quality.../.