The Ministry of Health has completed a draft decree which adjusts the current hospital fees to provide better health care treatment for patients, according to Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu.
According to the minister, some types of medical treatment would be subject to an increase in cost to improve treatment quality at central and district-level hospitals.
The cost of services which require modern medical equipment and technology would be increased to balance out investment while services funded by the State’s budget would rise only slightly.
Viet-Duc (Vietnam-Germany) Hospital director Nguyen Tien Quyet said the current fees are not reasonable or proper.
For example, a liver operation requires tens of doctors and nurses and modern medical equipment, but the cost of 2-2.5 million VND (105-131 USD) is not enough, he said.
Nguyen Thanh Liem, head of the central Paediatric Hospital , said the current fees were set in 1995 and are no longer appropriate in 2010.
For example, a patient is charged 10,000 VND (0.5 USD) per day for a hospital stay while the real cost is around 296,000 VND (15 USD) per day.
However, many patients are concerned about the planned increase.
Nguyen Thi Thin, a cancer patient from northern Hung Yen province, said her first week of treatment cost her nearly 8 million VND (421 USD).
“I don’t know what to do if the fees keep rising. My disease is complicated and requires long-term treatment,” Thin said.
“Increasing fees must mean higher quality services and better doctors and nurses. Unless they can guarantee this, they shouldn’t increase them,” said patient Nguyen Phuong Linh.
The draft decree will be sent to ministries, agencies and hospitals for feedback before being submitted to the Government./.
According to the minister, some types of medical treatment would be subject to an increase in cost to improve treatment quality at central and district-level hospitals.
The cost of services which require modern medical equipment and technology would be increased to balance out investment while services funded by the State’s budget would rise only slightly.
Viet-Duc (Vietnam-Germany) Hospital director Nguyen Tien Quyet said the current fees are not reasonable or proper.
For example, a liver operation requires tens of doctors and nurses and modern medical equipment, but the cost of 2-2.5 million VND (105-131 USD) is not enough, he said.
Nguyen Thanh Liem, head of the central Paediatric Hospital , said the current fees were set in 1995 and are no longer appropriate in 2010.
For example, a patient is charged 10,000 VND (0.5 USD) per day for a hospital stay while the real cost is around 296,000 VND (15 USD) per day.
However, many patients are concerned about the planned increase.
Nguyen Thi Thin, a cancer patient from northern Hung Yen province, said her first week of treatment cost her nearly 8 million VND (421 USD).
“I don’t know what to do if the fees keep rising. My disease is complicated and requires long-term treatment,” Thin said.
“Increasing fees must mean higher quality services and better doctors and nurses. Unless they can guarantee this, they shouldn’t increase them,” said patient Nguyen Phuong Linh.
The draft decree will be sent to ministries, agencies and hospitals for feedback before being submitted to the Government./.
