Speaking at a programme to promote community health on the occasion of Vietnam Health Insurance Day (July 1, 2017), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the Party and State always pay attention to public health care, promulgating several policies relating to health insurance to help people overcome disease risks and reduce the burden of health care costs.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the programme “Public health insurance – Joining hands to promote community health” in celebration of the Vietnam Health Insurance Day (July 1, 2017) (Source: Viet Nam Social Security)

The law on health insurance has been a success in recent years. As of August 2017, the country had 78.39 million people joining health insurance, making up 84.2 percent of the total population, above the target set by the Government.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that public health expenditure (including State budget and health insurance) accounts for 42.4 percent of total health expenditure. 

The Government has also encouraged people to join health insurance via issuing legal documents, such as Resolution 21-NQ/TW enhancing the Party’s leadership in social security and health insurance in 2012-2020, the law on health insurance in 2014, and Circular 37 stipulating the increase of health service prices.

The Vietnam Health Financing Strategy in 2016-2025 aims to develop a sustainable health system towards equality, efficiency, development and quality. Flexible health insurance policies have received some positive feedback. In 2016, 55 percent of respondents said health insurance “works very well” while in 2015 the figure was 51 percent. The quality of health care services for children under six years old has also received positive comments with 32 percent of respondents saying “very good” - higher than 2015 (23 percent).

The level of public interest in health insurance policies has been increasing with nearly 73 percent of respondents saying they knew the poor are aided to buy health insurance cards (in 2015 the figure was 68.41 percent). Similarly, 70.05 percent of the respondents said they knew that under-six-year-old children received free medical check-ups.

One of the main solutions the health ministry and international experts suggested is ensuring full health insurance coverage. The country has more than 2,000 medical facilities at all levels.                                               

The Law on health insurance 2014 has enshrined numerous rights for participants. Notably, they have more options to find quality health care facilities, including private clinics at the district level.

It also creates fair competition among health care facilities, forcing them to reform services and increase investment in infrastructure and high-quality medical staff.

The adjustment of health services prices nationwide, which was carried out from March 2016, also creates healthy competition among medical facilities, encouraging hospitals to develop technology and help health insurance card holders enjoy the best services.

International Cooperation Department