Health ministry wants to promote cashless payments
The Ministry of Health has set out a plan to promote e-payments, or cashless payments, in the health sector, especially for health check-ups and treatment services at medical facilities nationwide.
At the event (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) — The Ministry of Health has set out a plan to
promote e-payments, or cashless payments, in the health sector, especially for
health check-ups and treatment services at medical facilities nationwide.
Speaking at an online
conference on September 20 in Hanoi, Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the implementation of non-cash payments will
be an important task of the health sector.
Tien said that non-cash
payments have many benefits, including improved safety, speed and accuracy. It
also allows people to access and make payments not only within the country but
even globally.
The minister further said there are still many difficulties in expanding
cashless payments in the health sector, such as low rate of hospitals using
cashless payment systems or shortcomings in connecting with banking software or
between organisations providing intermediary services and information systems
of hospitals.
At the event, the
health ministry requested units in the sector to develop action plans,
resources and conditions to implement suitable non-cash payment solutions.
The ministry asked
hospitals and health facilities to actively deploy various forms of electronic
payments for hospital fees and tuition, such as via credit card, smartphone,
electronic wallets and electronic payment gateways.
At the same time, the
health sector will also promote communication and strengthen people’s awareness
on the significance and important utilities of non-cash payment, encouraging
people to use cashless methods in paying hospital fees and tuition.
State Bank of Vietnam Deputy Governor
Nguyen
Kim Anh said that the bank will continue to work with the health sector in improving people’s experience
and satisfaction in paying treatment fees, reducing queues, contributing to
improving the quality of check-up and treatment services.
The SBV also suggested commercial banks research and apply
incentive policies and affordable service fees for payment of hospital fees and
implement incentives, promotion and discount programmes to change habits and
behaviours of customers in paying hospital fees from cash to e-payments.
A report of the SBV shows that around 50 per
cent of Vietnamese people still do not have bank accounts or e-payment cards.
Fees for cashless payments are still high and there is a lack of payment
methods for medical services at hospitals in mountainous and remote areas,
hindering the development of non-cash payments in the health sector.
Vietnam currently has more
than 70 banks providing Mobile Banking and 31 e-wallets of intermediary payment
service providers that can participate in providing cashless payment solutions.
Nearly 14,000 health facilities use bank accounts nationwide./.