The northern province of Ha Nam aims to have 81.6 percent of its population covered by health insurance by 2020.

Deputy Director of the provincial social insurance office Le Quang Ngoc suggested diversifying forms of communication on the benefits of health insurance, especially given the revisions to the Law on Health Insurance.

Doctor Nguyen Xuan Quy, Director of the local Health Department, said campaigns should focus on families in rural areas where the rate of health insurance coverage only stands at 9.65 percent.

Enhancing the quality of medical services for those with health insurance is also important, he added.

The province has set up an inter-sector health and social insurance group responsible for facilitating healthcare examinations for patients covered by health insurance.

Quy noted that most locals with health insurance are elderly or people with diseases, especially chronic disease.

The number of employees working for private enterprises in Ha Nam is likely to increase, he said, adding that the health and social insurance sectors should promote health insurance usage among this group.

According to the provincial social insurance office, nearly 2 million people covered with health insurance have received medical examinations and treatment since 2013.

In the first half of this year, the local health insurance fund paid 150 billion VND (about 6.8 million USD) for close to 387,000 patients with health insurance.-VNA