Join hands to implement universal health insurance

(Baonghean) - Comrade Le Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Provincial Social Insurance, answered an interview with Nghe An Newspaper.

Reporter:Can you tell us why July 1 was chosen as Vietnam Health Insurance Anniversary Day?

Biochemical testing at the provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Center. Photo: TT

Comrade Le Truong Giang:In 2009, marking the event when the first Law on Health Insurance of our country came into effect - July 1, 2009 - the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 823/QD-TTg dated June 16, 2009, taking July 1 every year as Vietnam Health Insurance Day. Vietnam Health Insurance Day is an important highlight, a milestone in the history of healthcare and health insurance in Vietnam. From now on, our country has another anniversary to promote the humanistic values, humanitarian meaning, and community nature of the health insurance policy, in accordance with the ethics and fine traditions of the Vietnamese people. Since then, July 1 every year has been solemnly organized by the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security and all levels and sectors.

Eye surgery using Phaco method. Photo: TT

In the first year of celebrating Health Insurance Day, the chosen theme of action was “Health Insurance – Quality and patient satisfaction”. The theme of Vietnam Health Insurance Day from 2010 to 2013 was always chosen to be closely linked to the goals and roadmap towards universal health insurance: “Enhancing responsibility, improving capacity to implement health insurance policies and laws” in 2010; “Raising awareness of the rights and responsibilities of health insurance participants in medical examination and treatment, contributing to universal health insurance” in 2011; “Enhancing responsibility for strictly implementing health insurance laws, towards universal health insurance” in 2012 and in 2013 “Promoting the process of implementing the goal towards universal health insurance”. In 2014 “Promoting the process of expanding health insurance coverage, towards universal health insurance”. Celebrating Health Insurance Day 2015 with the theme “Joining hands to implement the roadmap for universal health insurance” is also the first year of implementing the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Health Insurance Law with many important contents. In particular, the law stipulates that health insurance is a compulsory form for all people. To achieve this goal, it requires the joint participation of the entire political system, all levels, sectors and organizations and individuals.

Reporter:The orientation of universal health insurance is an important content in the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. So, since when did our Party and State determine the policy of "moving towards universal health insurance"?

Comrade Le Truong Giang:In our country, health insurance has been established and developed for over 20 years. As early as 1992, Article 39 of our country's Constitution stipulated that "Implementing health insurance creates conditions for all people to receive health care."

The orientation of universal health insurance is an important content in the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. The Resolutions of the 9th National Congress (2001), 10th (2006) and 11th (2011) of the Party consistently advocate the policy of "Moving towards universal health insurance" and the orientation must have a suitable and effective implementation roadmap.

Institutionalizing the Party's guidelines and policies, the roadmap for implementing universal health insurance has been stipulated in the Law on Health Insurance passed by the National Assembly on November 14, 2008. To move towards implementing the roadmap for universal health insurance, the amended Law on Health Insurance clearly stipulates: From January 1, 2015, health insurance is a compulsory form of insurance. Therefore, there is no longer the concept of voluntary health insurance as before, but these subjects according to current regulations are groups of subjects participating in health insurance according to households, meaning all people whose names are in the household registration book or temporary residence book participate in health insurance.

Through practice, the benefits have been proven, and awareness of health insurance has changed dramatically. Along with social insurance, health insurance has become an important social policy, a main pillar of the social security system, contributing to economic development, achieving social progress and equity, and ensuring political stability in each locality.

Reporter:Could you please tell us about the important results after 5 years of implementing the Law on Health Insurance?

Comrade Le Truong Giang:After 5 years of implementing the Law on Health Insurance, we have achieved remarkable results: The awareness of all classes of people and the responsibility of all levels and sectors in implementing the health insurance policy have been increasingly raised. The organization and implementation of the health insurance policy in the province has had clear changes. The expansion of basic target groups has been carried out in accordance with the roadmap of the law. By May 2015, Nghe An had 2,226,295 people granted health insurance cards, higher than the national average.

The health insurance examination and treatment network has been expanded, the quality of medical examination and treatment and the satisfaction of people with health insurance cards when going to the hospital for examination and treatment have been gradually improved. People have been able to access and receive health care from the health insurance fund right in the community and many modern medical services.

State management and implementation of health insurance have had positive changes. Many localities have had good and creative ways of doing things and have had the active participation of the entire political system. Expanding the number of people participating in health insurance has become one of the solutions to complete the criteria for communes meeting the New Rural standards. At the same time, through the emulation movement "All people join hands to build new rural areas" to implement the roadmap towards universal health insurance.

In particular, from 2014 to present, the target of the rate of people participating in health insurance has been included in the system of economic and social indicators submitted to the Provincial People's Council for approval in Resolution No. 99. The Provincial People's Committee has assigned specific targets to each district, city and town in Decision No. 6037. This is a demonstration of the strong political commitment of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and Provincial People's Committee to the implementation of the roadmap towards universal health insurance.

Reporter:The theme of this year's Health Insurance Day is "Joining hands to implement the roadmap for universal health insurance". Could you please tell us the solution to implement this theme?

Comrade Le Truong Giang:To effectively implement this topic, the responsibility is not only the health sector and the social insurance sector but also requires the drastic participation of the entire political system and society with specific solutions such as: Firstly, Party committees and local authorities need to pay more attention to the health insurance policy, actively implement the "Project to implement the roadmap towards universal health insurance for the period 2012 - 2015 and 2020" for the period 2013 - 2015 of Nghe An province.

Second, promote the dissemination of health insurance policies and laws, especially the Law on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Health Insurance Law, to target groups, raise people's awareness of responsibilities and rights in implementing health insurance policies, contributing to ensuring social security, creating motivation for the whole population to actively participate.

Third, implement solutions to improve the quality of health insurance examination and treatment, reform administrative procedures, improve the payment process for health insurance examination and treatment, and effectively manage and use the health insurance fund.

Fourth, strengthen inter-sectoral coordination, coordination between the Department of Health and the provincial Social Insurance, between the Social Insurance agency and medical examination and treatment facilities; Improve the capacity of the state management system on health insurance from the provincial level to the commune, ward and town levels; Deploy the application of information technology in the management of medical examination and treatment and health insurance to strengthen management and cost control.

Fifth, strongly implement solutions to expand the subjects, increase the health insurance coverage rate, focus on localities with low population participation rates and laborers in enterprises, and voluntary health insurance participants. Pay attention to the organization and operation of the health insurance card collection and issuance network in communes, wards, and towns, creating all favorable conditions for people to access information and participate in health insurance.

Sixth, strengthen the inspection and examination of the implementation of the provisions of the Health Insurance Law, professional regulations on medical examination and treatment, and payment of medical examination and treatment costs at medical examination and treatment facilities. Ensure publicity and transparency in paying and receiving health insurance, promptly detect, correct and strictly handle violations of the Health Insurance Law.

Reporter:Thank you for this exchange!

Thanh Thuy(Perform)