Health insurance - support for people with HIV

At the Outpatient Clinic of Dien Chau General Hospital, every day there are 15 - 20 HIV/AIDS patients coming for examination, consultation and being given ARV drugs to treat the disease.

HIV/AIDS patients come for examination and receive medicine at the Outpatient Clinic of Dien Chau General Hospital.

Previously, HIV/AIDS treatment with ARV drugs relied mainly on international aid sources, but since this source was cut off, fortunately, the health insurance stipulates that ARV drugs are covered by insurance, so I feel very secure and regularly go to the hospital every week to receive the drugs. The procedures are quick and simple, the doctors and nurses are dedicated, so I feel secure in the treatment, and my health is stable.

Mr. Thai Ba Loi, a patient of Dien Ngoc commune

Starting from March 2019, 300 HIV patients in Dien Chau district have been treated through health insurance cards. Of these, 70 people are unable to work and 50 people are from poor households, disadvantaged communes, and children are supported with 100% health insurance cards, while the remaining payment level for other subjects is 80%.

Mr. Pham Quoc Tuong, a treatment support staff at the Outpatient Clinic of Dien Chau General Hospital, said: “With a health insurance card, patients enjoy many benefits when using services such as: medical examination, HIV testing, ARV drug distribution, preventive treatment for pregnant women with HIV, preventive treatment for opportunistic infections... Since switching from the support program to health insurance card examination, the quality has not changed, but the superiority is clearer because patients are also cared for more with other diseases. For example, if a patient has another disease, in the past, if they did not have a health insurance card and wanted to transfer to a higher level, they had to pay out of pocket, but now they can transfer to a higher level with a health insurance card.”

Doctors at Dien Loi Commune Health Station advise HIV patients at home.

As for Mr. Tran Huu Quyen in Dien Loi commune, when he discovered he was infected with HIV, all he felt was extreme regret, guilt, and pessimism, wanting to end his life. However, thanks to the care and encouragement of the health station staff, mass organizations, especially since he was treated for HIV with health insurance, he was assured of the source of medicine as well as the treatment method.

I am sick so I have to have regular check-ups. I have health insurance so I take medicine regularly. My relatives and neighbors no longer discriminate against me so my health has improved a lot. Therefore, I can now participate in normal labor and work.

Mr. Tran Huu Quyen in Dien Loi commune, Dien Chau

As the locality with the highest number of HIV-infected people and groups at risk of infection in the district, in recent times, Dien Loi commune has also strengthened HIV/AIDS prevention and control work, focusing most on raising awareness and changing people's behavior towards people with HIV.

Doctors and nurses at the health station and mass organizations regularly participate in neighborhood activities to disseminate information about the dangers and ways to prevent HIV infection to the people, and regularly approach HIV-infected people, encouraging them to buy health insurance to properly implement the treatment regimen. Thanks to that, over the past 3 years, Dien Loi commune has maintained a level of 19 people infected with HIV, with no new cases arising.

Mr. Tran Huu Thu - Deputy Head of Commune Health Station

Provincial Social Insurance officers conduct propaganda about social insurance and voluntary insurance for people. Photo: Thanh Chung

To minimize the infection and achieve the 90-90-90 target (that is, 90% of people infected with HIV know their status, 90% of people infected with HIV are diagnosed and 90% of people infected with HIV are treated with antiretroviral drugs), Dien Chau district has focused on raising public awareness, reducing stigma and discrimination against people with HIV, expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services through health insurance; doing a good job of updating, monitoring, understanding and managing HIV-infected subjects and the HIV/AIDS infection situation in the area to develop prevention methods.

In particular, doing a good job of socialization, mobilizing all socio-political organizations, and people with HIV to directly participate in HIV/AIDS prevention and control in order to eliminate the AIDS pandemic in Vietnam by 2030. Currently, the 90-90-90 target of Dien Chau district has been completed. In recent years, the number of people infected through sexual intercourse has decreased significantly, and the situation of new HIV infections is showing a downward trend.

Parade in response to World HIV/AIDS Day. Photo: Archive

Mr. Nguyen Van Thu - Deputy Director of Dien Chau Social Insurance discussed: "To ensure the rights, as well as favorable conditions for medical examination and treatment for HIV patients, Dien Chau General Hospital cooperated with the District Social Insurance to build a database of patients receiving ARV treatment, serving the monitoring of ARV drug payments from health insurance sources and establishing a management information system for each patient participating in ARV treatment.

At the same time, we actively fight against stigma and discrimination at medical examination and treatment facilities so that HIV-infected people can feel secure when coming for treatment. The number of HIV patients in the district who have been inspected and monitored have been issued cards by the Social Insurance Department and transferred to the subjects in a timely manner.

Health check for pediatric patients at a clinic for people with HIV/AIDS. Photo: Archive

After more than 9 months of implementation, the Outpatient Clinic of Dien Chau General Hospital has received and provided medicine and treatment for 2,063 HIV/AIDS patients. ARV treatment through the Health Insurance Fund is a sustainable financial source for people with HIV to continue receiving treatment at a reasonable cost. This is also a long-term, sustainable solution in the relentless fight against the AIDS pandemic.