Nghe An: Nearly 94% of students participate in health insurance

(Baonghean) - With its special humane nature, the Student Health Insurance policy (HSI) has brought practical benefits to the future generations of the country. Nghe An has been trying to make the policy more and more widespread, with the goal of 100% of students participating in health insurance.

» Student health insurance: responsibility and sharing

“Talisman” for poor students

In May 2012, Tran Thi Phuc (10 years old, 5th grade student, in Luu Son commune, Do Luong district) had open heart surgery at the Provincial General Hospital to successfully repair her atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect. Five years after the surgery, Phuc's heart is completely healthy, and her health is guaranteed to be able to study and play like other friends of the same age.

Tran Minh Hai is being treated for encephalitis at Nghe An Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son

Recalling the days when their child was sick and frail all year round, Mr. Tran Trong Dung and Ms. Le Thi Hien (Phuc's parents) always feel grateful and lucky for letting their child participate in the Student Health Insurance.

Mr. Dung said: “Because of heart disease, my child was very weak before, his physical condition was inferior to his peers, and he had to go to the hospital constantly. I love my child but I am helpless because his mother also has heart disease and has to rely on medicine every day to maintain her life. The family is very poor, with only 1 sao of rice field, and the father alone has to work hard to earn money for food and medicine for the mother and child. Luckily, thanks to the health insurance, the total cost of 48 million VND is beyond the family's ability.”

Student health insurance has been a lifesaver for hundreds of open heart surgeries at Nghe An General Hospital. In addition to Phuc, there is Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (9 years old, 3rd grader, in block 11 of Hung Nguyen town, with congenital heart disease). Trang has no treatment because her parents are divorced, she lives with her father and grandparents, and her economic conditions are extremely difficult. Or Nguyen Huu Linh (7 years old, 1st grader, in Thanh Hung commune, Thanh Chuong) has a heart disease but her poor family has no money for surgery... Thanks to health insurance, many poor students with incurable diseases have returned to health and normal.

“Having a sick child and going to the hospital makes me understand more clearly the value of health care and protection of student health insurance. Thank you for the good policy of the State” - those are the very real shares of Mr. Hoang Trong Cuu - father of Hoang Trong Hai Minh (7 years old, 2nd grade student, in Hung Long commune, Hung Nguyen district) and Ms. Dao Thi Quy Chinh - mother of Tran Minh Hai (14 years old, 8th grade student, in Vinh Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district).

Both Minh and Hai suffered from encephalitis and had to be treated in the Infectious Diseases Department. The treatment was long and without the Student Health Insurance, the families could not afford it.

From December 2016 to July 2017 alone, the Student Health Insurance paid for 3,672 sick and ill students, including student Phan Van Khanh (Hung Nguyen) whose insurance paid nearly 350 million VND.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh - Principal of Ha Huy Tap Secondary School, Vinh City said: "In the 2016-2017 school year, the school had 1,488/1,488 students participating in health insurance. The implementation of health insurance was very convenient because the students' parents supported it. Firstly, they think that buying health insurance is buying a "lucky charm" for their children; secondly, the cost is not much, less than 500,000 VND/child/year, very cheap compared to the cost of 1 medical examination without a social insurance card; thirdly, the medical examination process is very convenient in all aspects.

During the past school year, many students of the school went to the health insurance clinic and did not encounter any problems, especially in terms of paperwork and payment. In the 2017-2018 school year, 1,588 students of the school participated in health insurance, reaching a rate of 100%".

Efforts to "cover" health insurance for students

100% of students participating in health insurance is the target set by Nghe An province in the 2017-2018 school year. However, it must be said that the implementation of this goal is still facing certain difficulties, due to the economic conditions of the people, especially people in rural and mountainous areas, facing many difficulties.

Besides, in some localities, Party committees and authorities at all levels have not really taken part; in some places, the awareness of the importance of schools, teachers, parents and students is not correct; school health care has not received much attention, and the quality of medical examination and treatment is still limited.

In order for the humane policy of health insurance to continue to spread, striving for 100% of students to participate in health insurance, Nghe An Social Insurance has been focusing on many tasks and solutions to overcome difficulties such as coordinating with the Department of Education and Training to implement health insurance for students, the Provincial Youth Union to implement inter-sectoral guidance on health insurance for students at the beginning of the school year; coordinating with the Department of Health, Department of Finance, Department of Education and Training to review students from agricultural, forestry, fishery and salt-making households with average living standards, estimating the budget to advise the Provincial People's Committee to support the local budget, and submitting it to the Provincial People's Council (in addition to the minimum support level of 30% as prescribed by the Law on Health Insurance).

At the same time, Nghe An Social Insurance also promotes propaganda about the benefits and significance of health insurance in many forms to reach the people. Along with that, it is necessary to strengthen coordination with sectors, localities and especially with schools; coordinate with the health sector to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, the quality of service at medical examination and treatment facilities at all levels, especially the spirit and attitude of service in medical examination and treatment activities to ensure full rights and create all favorable conditions for health insurance participants, including students, when going for medical examination and treatment.

Thanh Son