(Source: Viet Nam Social Security)

Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has affirmed that it has not instructed social security agencies in cities and provinces to stop providing medical checkups and treatment covered by health insurance in private hospitals.

Le Van Phuc, Deputy Director of the VSS’s Health Insurance Implementation Department, said the VSS sent Dispatch No. 5163/BHXH-CSYT dated November 17, 2017 to municipal and provincial social security agencies to instruct contract signing and payment for medical checkups and treatment covered by health insurance in 2018. The VSS asked private health centres to submit more documents in line with Joint Circular No. 41/2014/TTLT-BHYT-BTC issued by the Ministries of Health and Finance.

Accordingly, private health centres which continue to sign contracts on medical checkups and treatment covered by health insurance in 2018 must present the decision on professional division and apply health fees equal to those at public hospitals of the same level as prescribed in Clause 6, Article 4 of Joint Circular No. 37/2015/TTLT-BHYT-BTC on fees of medical services covered by health insurance between hospitals of the same level.

The Law on Health Insurance prescribes that medical centres must be classified to identify fees and professional responsibilities in order to decide on the health insurance levels of patients, Phuc said.

The Ministry of Health has yet to issue a circular guiding the classification of private hospitals, causing difficulties for social security agencies and private hospitals in identifying medical fees and social insurance benefits. The VSS has repeatedly asked the Ministry of Health to issue the circular to deal with these issues.

Therefore, the VSS’s request of social security agencies in cities and provinces to review unqualified medical centres and asking them to supplement documents to serve the signing of contracts is in line with the Law on Social Insurance, as well as documents guiding the implementation of the law.

Given this, the Ministry of Health should set temporary standards to assess, classify and identify professional responsibilities of private medical centres offering healthcare checkups and treatment care covered by health insurance.

International Cooperation Department