Viet Nam Social Security Director General Nguyen The Manh made the statement at a conference to evaluate the coordination between the two agencies in implementing last year’s health insurance policy and prepare for this year’s tasks on January 24 in Ha Noi.

Viet Nam Social Security Director General Nguyen The Manh and Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan co-chaired the conference.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan delivers her speech at the conference

At the conference, Manh agreed with the Ministry of Health's proposals on this year’s major tasks after determining the common purpose of the two agencies was to serve health-insurance participants in medical examination and treatment.

Among the tasks, the top priority was to continue to improve institutions.

The tasks this year needed focusing on innovating payment methods, developing and amending the Law on Health Insurance.

It was necessary to pay special attention to increasing health insurance coverage so that more and more people could participate. The goal was to reach more than 94.2 per cent this year, he said.

That was a very difficult task, therefore, more effective and close coordination was required between the two agencies, along with relevant agencies, he added.

He also noted that the two agencies should accelerate the application of information technology (IT) and digital transformation in serving medical examination and treatment, covered by the health insurance fund, as the number of patients, covered by the health insurance fund, was increasing.

It was impossible to make quick, full and timely payments and prevent profiteering of the health insurance fund without the support from IT.

Participants at the conference

At the same time, the two sectors were told to simplify administrative procedures in medical examination and treatment, covered by the health insurance fund, so that health-insurance participants could enjoy more convenience and benefits.

Manh said he believed that the State management and implementation of health insurance policy would achieve more important and outstanding results, serving the people better and better this year.

Speaking at the conference, Minister Lan said that health insurance was a pillar in the country's social security system.

After the Law on Health Insurance was promulgated in 2008, the ministry and Viet Nam Social Security already met to discuss and promulgate the coordination regulations in implementing the policy.

After 12 years of implementation, the coordination regulations had been evaluated and amended in accordance with the law through each period, each socio-economic development situation and relevant laws.

The ministry and Viet Nam Social Security regularly adjust the coordination regulations between the two agencies to match with the new situation.

The two sides agreed to strengthen and coordinate more closely in building and disseminating the legal system on health insurance, conducting inspections, handling of violations, enhancing scientific research and international cooperation.

The two sides also had tightly coordinated and comprehensively implemented seven specific tasks over the past time.

After a period of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two agencies took turns holding meetings and briefings to promptly discuss, remove difficulties and obstacles in implementing the health insurance policy last year.

“Today, the two sides organised a conference to evaluate the results and propose solutions to enhance the coordination in the coming time to improve the quality of examination and treatment and better serve patients,” she said.

Viet Nam Social Security Director General Nguyen The Manh delivers a speech at the conference

At the conference, representatives of the ministry’s Health Insurance Department and the Viet Nam Social Security’s Department of Social Insurance Implementation reported on the implementation of the coordination regulations between the two agencies last year.

The two sides had worked together to overcome difficulties, gain major results in the State management and implementation of policies and laws on health insurance.

The two agencies coordinated to complete the draft amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance; submit to competent authorities to promulgate decrees, resolutions, and directives on the health insurance policy during the pandemic, develop the health insurance policy, and improve grassroots health activities.

The agencies also issued documents guiding localities and medical facilities in implementing the health insurance policy.

The agencies organised more than 20 meetings to resolve problems in examination and treatment; payment of medical examination and treatment costs, covered by the health insurance fund.

At the meeting on August 17, 2023, the ministry and the Viet Nam Social Security had agreed on a plan to resolve 26 problems.

Regarding the health insurance coverage target, by the end of last year, over 93.3 million people participated in the health insurance, reaching 93.35 per cent of the total population nation-wide.

The number was 0.15 per cent higher than the target set under the Government’s Resolution 01/NQ-CP, approaching the goal of universal health insurance.

There were 174.8 million arrivals of medical examination and treatment, covered by the health insurance fund, nationwide last year, an increase of over 23.4 million arrivals compared to 2022. The expenditure for medical examination and treatment was about VND124.3 trillion (US$5.08 billion).

The two agencies had deployed together IT applications to serve medical examination and treatment management, assessment and settlement of the medical examination and treatment costs, covered by the health insurance fund; using chip-based identity cards in registration of medical examination and treatment, running VSSID- digital social insurance application to replace health insurance cards.

 Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan awards Medal "For People's Health" to outstanding individuals

Speaking at the conference, Nguyen Hoang Mai - deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs said that the two agencies had coordinated smoothly to solve problems in implementing the health insurance policy.

Many issues between the two agencies were directly discussed and promptly resolved. It was expected that the two agencies would accelerate the coordination, focusing on improving the rights of participants, especially, issues in the supply of drugs and medical supplies.

Nguyen Van De, chairman of the Viet Nam’s Private Hospital Association highly appreciated the coordination between the two agencies over the past time, notably in perfecting legal regulations on health insurance, removing difficulties in medical examination and treatment, covered by the health insurance fund.

Those results had made an important contribution to helping more than 300 private hospitals and more than 40,000 clinics operate effectively, promoting their roles, supporting the public health system in the implementation of medical examination and treatment for people.

Recognising and praising the efforts and contributions to domestic health sector, Lan awarded the Medal "For People's Health" to Manh; three deputy directors general Tran Dinh Lieu, Le Hung Son, Nguyen Duc Hoa; Le Van Phuc, director of Department of Social Insurance Implementation; Duong Tuan Duc, director of Centre for Medical Claim Review; Vu Thi Hai Yen, deputy director of the Department of Public Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance; Luu Thi Lam - specialist of the Civil-Economic Legislation Department under the Ministry of Justice./.