Challenging Gap towards Universal Health Insurance in Nghi Loc

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan - Deputy Head of the Culture - Social Committee of the Provincial People's Council chaired the meeting. Photo: Minh Chi

Nghi Loc district currently has more than 200,000 people, of which more than 150,000 people participate in health insurance, reaching 76%. In addition to paying attention to management and expanding the number of people participating in health insurance with the rate increasing every year, Nghi Loc district also leads and directs the work of reviewing and making an accurate list of the right people in the group of people supported by the State for health insurance premiums.

The district also focuses on consolidating facilities, equipment and improving quality and professional qualifications, thereby improving the quality of medical examination and treatment at medical facilities implementing health insurance examination and treatment, ensuring the rights of patients.

At the meeting, the monitoring delegation of the Cultural and Social Affairs Committee raised concerns about the challenging gap for Nghi Loc district when the rate of people participating in health insurance has only reached 76% compared to the general target set by the province by 2020 of 90%, and moving towards completing the goal of universal health insurance according to the general policy.

Vice Chairwoman of Nghi Loc District People's Committee Tran Thi Anh Tuyet spoke at the meeting. Photo: Minh Chi

Explaining the reason for the low rate of health insurance participation, Vice Chairwoman of Nghi Loc District People's Committee Tran Thi Anh Tuyet said that Nghi Loc district has many special communes and often in these communes, mobilizing people to participate in voluntary health insurance is very difficult, leading to many communes having very low health insurance participation rates, such as Nghi Van commune with only 42%; Nghi Van is 55%; Nghi Kieu is 61%; Nghi Thuan is 64%...

According to the Vice Chairman of Nghi Loc District People's Committee, in the coming time, the district will focus on directing more drastically, and at the same time will assign specific targets to the facilities to promote propaganda and mobilize people to participate in health insurance; associated with that is mobilizing businesses and philanthropists to support the purchase of health insurance cards for some groups of people.

Also at the meeting, the members of the monitoring delegation also requested the District People's Committee, the District Health Insurance Agency, the General Hospital and the Nghi Loc District Medical Center to clarify many issues related to issues of ensuring the rights of health insurance participants such as card issuance, correcting information errors in health insurance cards, providing drug lists and drug quality, services for health insurance patients; reforming administrative procedures in the reception and payment of hospital fees for people, etc.

Dispensing medicine to patients participating in health insurance at Nghi Loc General Hospital. Photo: Minh Chi

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Head of the Culture - Social Committee of the Provincial People's Council requested Nghi Loc district to strengthen leadership and direction in implementing health insurance policies and laws; propose solutions to expand the scope of subjects, especially employees in enterprises with labor contracts of 1 month or more, students in general schools; family health insurance cards.

The district also needs to have a unified solution, update population data and health insurance participants most accurately, minimize the issuance of incorrect or late health insurance cards that affect the rights of health insurance participants.

Regarding the management of health insurance funds, it is recommended that medical facilities use health insurance funds economically and effectively, and minimize the application of techniques exceeding the quota or fund. For social insurance agencies, it is necessary to guide units that receive support funds for units directly managing health insurance participants to use this fund for primary health care for participants.

For the District People's Committee, continue to direct and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, aiming at patient satisfaction, contributing to the cause of people's health care; strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of health insurance policies and laws...