VSS directs social insurance agencies of localities to carry out the Government’s Circular No 72 to ensure enough medicines and medical materials for medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance

In order to help ensure sufficient supplies of medicine and medical equipment to serve medical examination and treatment for people following the Prime Minister’s Circular No 72, the VSS requested social insurance agencies of localities to take the following measures:

Firstly, actively and proactively coordinating with local health departments to report and consult local People’s Committees to direct the organisation of bidding to buy medicines and medical equipment in line with regulations. Based on the demand for medical use and drug procurement capacity of medical establishments, they will propose local People’s Committees to expand the list of medicines for local concentrated procurement in line with regulations, helping reduce difficulties for medical establishments in bidding for the medicines themselves while enhancing the efficiency of concentrated procurement.

Secondly, regarding drug procurement, managing, using and paying for medicines and medical equipment, they are required to:

- Proactively review and follow the procurement progress of concentrated procurement at local health departments and bidding packages held by medical facilities themselves to have directions and comments in a timely manner to prevent delays in procurement, which will result in medicine shortages for patients. Measures are needed to ensure the supply of medicines listed for patients covered by health insurance.

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- Proactively working with local medical departments and medical establishments to ensure the supply of medicines and medical equipment for patients.

- Carry out payment for medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance in line with the Law on Health Insurance and other legal documents.

- Seriously adopting directions from the VSS as regulated in the Document No 1576 issued on June 14, 2022 to ensure the supply of medicines and medical equipment and materials for health checkups and treatment for patients covered by health insurance and Document No 224 issued on January 19, 2023 about the implementation of some key tasks in carrying out the health insurance policy in 2023 in order to ensure enough medicines and medical equipment for health examination and treatment for health insurance participants.

The Vietnam social insurance sector has always accompanied the health sector and medical establishments to proactively and actively propose and implement measures to remove difficulties and obstacles for medical facilities such as adopting guidelines from authorities in implementing health insurance policies; organising conferences with the health sector to discuss and deal with obstacles in conducting medical examination and treatment as well as payment covered by health insurance; setting up working groups led by the VSS Director General and Deputy Directors General to work with social insurance agencies of 63 provinces and cities to support and tackle difficulties and obstacles in collecting insurance premiums and debts, develop social insurance and health insurance participants and carrying out medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance.

As a result, many difficulties have been removed, creating favourable conditions for medical establishments and ensuring the interest of health insurance participants in line with regulations.

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In order to ensure finance for the operation of medical establishments to provide medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance, the VSS directed social insurance agencies of localities to make quarterly settlements to transfer payment or funding in advance for their operations in the next quarter.

With the viewpoint of prioritising interests and benefits of health insurance participants, the VSS is willing to accompany, share and work closely with the health sector to resolutely handle obstacles emerging during the implementation process of policies in order to ensure enough supply of medicines and medical equipment for the health checkup and treatment of patients and ensure interests of health insurance participants in line with regulations./.