5 years ago, Mrs. Linh, from Area No. 4 (Ward III, Vi Thanh City), discovered that she had high blood pressure, rheumatism, and steatosis, so she had to undergo regular treatment for a long time. According to Mrs. Linh, at that time, the family did not have financial difficulties but the treatment for these diseases in the long run would greatly affect the economy. However, there is a blessing in disguise that Mrs. Linh belongs to ethnic minority people in extremely difficult areas, so she was granted free health insurance cards from the State. Therefore, all her costs of medical examination and treatment are 100% paid by health insurance. “From then until now, every 5 to 10 days, I went to the health facility to check and get free medicine and the disease gradually got better. Thanks to the health insurance card, I can safely treat the disease without worrying the family’s economy,” Linh said in excitement.

Also granted the health insurance card by the State, Mr. Danh Thu, in hamlet 4 (Xa Phien commune, Long My district), whenever he has headaches or flu, he will go to health facilities for medical examination and treatment. Mr. Thu gladly shared: “Without the health insurance card, going to the pharmacy to buy medicines would also cost dozen thousands of dong. For rural people like us, this money is very hard to earn. But since I have the health insurance card, I do not have to worry anymore and I also have access to high quality medical examination and treatment packages”.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Trieu, Head of the Ethnic Minority Committee of the province said that after receiving state support for free health insurance cards, ethnic minorities in difficult and extremely difficult hamlets had conditions to get healthcare at health facilities as well as access to high quality health services, contributing to better health care for people, strengthening their belief in the Party and the State. Therefore, in the coming time, the province will continue to review the remaining cases that have not been issued with health insurance cards for timely replenishment./.