Over the past years, under the direction and guidance of the Party and State, health insurance (HI) policies for pupils and students (hereafter referred to as students) have been effectively implemented with close coordination between Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Since the Law on Health Insurance 2014 was approved, stipulating that students are subject to compulsory HI, the work has gained positive results. The rate of students joining HI has increased over the years. In the 2010-2011 school year, only 70 percent of students were covered by HI nationwide. However, the rate was increased continously to 80 percent, 85 percent and 90.5 percent in the following three years. In the 2016-2017 school year, Vietnam reached closer to the target of providing HI for all students with the rate of about 92.5 percent (15.9 million students).

Also, each year the HI fund has reimbursed medical checks-up and treatment expenses for those suffering sickness or injury for millions of students, many of whom suffer from fatal or chronic illnesses, requiring expensive treatment. Funding for primary health care services has also received greater attention. It is obvious that HI is affirming its growing role in the school health system in particular and the care and protection of the country’s future generations. 

(Source: Viet Nam News)

In 2017, VSS has continued to work with the Ministry of Education and Training to achieve the target of HI coverage for all students by the end of the year. The target for the participation rate of students is assigned to each school and will be one of the criteria for evaluating their performances as well as assessing the law compliance of students. Educational establishments should help students participate in HI schemes, including by offering flexible collection methods to reduce the contribution of their parents at the beginning of the school year.

In addition, the propaganda and dissemination of information about HI policies will be promoted so that each parent and student is aware of their rights and obligations to actively comply with the policies.

VSS also requested the Ministry of Education and Training to issue a circular guiding educational establishments to make a list of their participants. At the same time, VSS proposed administrations and party committees at all levels pay attention to the implementation of SI and HI policies in general and HI schemes among students in particular.

Recently, VSS has announced the process of collecting and issuing new SI books and HI cards. Therefore, the 2017-2018 school year is the first year VSS has issued a unique HI code for each participant. In the future, social insurance agencies will send staff members to schools to instruct who to look up the HI code to ensure the provision of updated information to each student.

With all of these efforts, VSS is hopeful of accomplishing the target of 100 percent HI coverage for students, ensuring a comprehensive education for students and contributing to the implementation of the human development strategy of the Party and the State.

International Cooperation Department