Truc Bach Street, Hanoi is under isolation. Source: Internet

On January 29, 2020, the Ministry of Health issued Decision 219/QD-BYT adding the acute respiratory infections caused by new strains of Corona virus (nCoV) to the list of infectious diseases in group A as regulated in the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, 2007. Therefore, the prevention and control activities of this disease shall be implemented in accordance with the provisions of seriously dangerous infectious diseases. And according to Article 48 of the 2007 Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people with type A diseases are free of charge.

Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Security Pham Luong Son said that Vietnam Social Security has directed the social insurance agencies of provinces and cities together with medical examination and treatment facilities to prepare a sufficient amount of medicine related to treatment work and needs of the patients to take medication. Especially for isolated patients, whether under concentrated or home isolation but are in need of medical care, in addition to the special costs for Covid-19, the remaining costs of the insured will be 100% covered by the social insurance.

The health insurance fund is now paying for health insurance card holders to have suspected symptoms such as fever, coughs and shortness of breath and tested negative to SARS-Cov-2 virus. If the results are positive and require further treatment, all costs will be covered by the state budget.

According to Official Letter No. 505/BYT-BH of the Ministry of Health, cases of exemption from medical examination and treatment expenses are specified in the Circular No. 32/2012/TT-BTC of the Ministry of Finance dated December 29, 2012. It prescribes the regimes, management and use of funding for people applying medical isolation or coercive medical isolation, including: Suspected cases of infection; Possible cases of infection; Confirmed cases of nCoV infection.

For those who are subject to medical isolation, if they suffer from other diseases during isolation and need medical treatment or are subject to medical isolation when being under treatment for other diseases, treatment costs of other diseases for cases with health insurance cards will be covered by the health insurance fund within the scope of benefits as for emergency cases, except for exempted expenses.

If the treatment is performed at a place without a contract of medical examination and treatment with the health insurance, the health insurance fund shall pay directly within the scope of benefits and the benefit level of health insurance as for emergency cases, except for exempted expenses.

Those who do not have health insurance cards must do self-payment for the costs of other diseases.

In case the patient’s self-examination and treatment is concluded that he or she is not required to apply medical isolation, medical examination and treatment costs for health insurance card holders will be covered by the health insurance fund in accordance with the provisions of law on health insurance; People without health insurance cards do self-payment according to the provisions of law on medical examination and treatment services.

Regarding the regimes, management and funding for people with medical isolation, Circular 32/2012 of the Ministry of Finance stipulates: People subject to medical isolation measures at health facilities, at border gates or at other facilities and locations will be exempted from medical examination and treatment costs when detected and under treatment for infectious diseases under professional guidance of the Ministry of Health; provided with free drinking water, face towels, masks, hand sanitizers, oral antiseptic solutions, toothbrushes, shower soaps and other essentials to meet daily needs during isolation days; get free travel expenses to the isolation facilities.

For diets, people subject to medical isolation at health facilities, at border gates or at other facilities and places provided with meals on request, consistent with the capability of the isolation facilities. Food expenses are paid by people under isolation. In case the isolated person belongs to a poor household, as prescribed, he or she will be entitled to a meal allowance of VND 40,000 per day during the isolation period.

However, in the past time, most of the localities and concentrated isolation areas such as the army, the police, etc. used local or unit budgets to pay for food expenses in order to facilitate people with medical isolation.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the Prime Minister directed that care is given to everyone regardless of who it is. We have prepared as good conditions as possible for the isolated cases, whether they are Vietnamese or foreigners.

Globally, China pays for all testing and treatment costs, some other countries only provide free treatment for their citizens or free testing. In some countries, people infected with an acute respiratory infection caused by a new strain of corona virus have to do self-payment for excessively high costs of treatment.