Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – As much as 91.2 percent of the population in the northern provinceof Vinh Phuc have joined health insurance, surpassing the target the locality hasset for 2020.
UnderDecision 3125 of the provincial People’s Committee on the popularization ofhealth insurance in the 2014-2014 and towards 2020, the province aims for 90percent of locals participating in health insurance in 2020.
Tothis end, the province has issued and implemented various policies supportinglocals to take part in health insurance, including assisting 100 percent of thehouseholds living close to the poverty line to buy the insurance since 2013,and aiding the poor and those with fatal diseases in health service fee, mealand travel cost when they stay at hospital.
Thecommittee has also decided to provide assistance to a number of other groupssuch as students and the elderly aging from 60-80, while issuing healthinsurance cards to the poor, households living near the poverty line and thosefrom ethnic minority groups living in poor communes.
Accordingto a report by the committee, in 2012, the province had 629,452 people joining healthcare insurance, equivalent to 64.6 percent of its population. As of the end of2018, the number was 953,284, accounting for 88.6 percent of the population. Atthe end of May, it increased to 994.274, raising the health insurance coverageto 91.2 percent of the local population, up 4.7 percent compared to the goalassigned by the Government, and surpassing the province’s target inpopularizing health insurance in 2020 by 1 percent.
Thecommittee assessed that the health insurance payment has been implemented in atimely, safe, full and accurate manner to the right beneficiaries, easing theirdifficulties when facing diseases as well as when becoming older.
Theprovincial Social Insurance Agency has coordinated with the provincialDepartment of Health as well as health care facilities to provide health careservices and manage health insurance fund, while carrying out verification ofhealth care service fees and speeding up administrative reform, thus creatingoptimal conditions for and ensuring the interest of people joining health careinsurance.
Sofar, the province’s health insurance find has paid health check-up andtreatment fees to over 4.7 million people with total amount of over 2 trillionVND (86 million USD).
However,the rate of people working in small- and medium-sized enterprises, co-operativesand business households joining health insurance has yet to reach 100 percent.
Inthe province, the number of people buying health insurance has remained lowerthan the potential, while staying unequal among districts and cities. Thereason behind the situation is that many households still have low and unstableincome, and they only think about buying health insurance when there is afamily member facing diseases.
Atthe same time, many companies have yet to pay attention to the rights of labourers,as they have avoided buying health insurance for them. In the meantime, thequality of health care services in some local facilities has remained poor,failing to meet locals’ demands or win their trust.
Inorder to continue effectively implementing health insurance policies, in thefuture, the provincial Social Insurance Agency will give advice to theprovincial Party Committee, People’s Committee and People’s Council in issuingdocuments on expanding health care insurance coverage and directing sectors andlocalities to continue prioritizing resources to complete targets inpopularlising the insurance in 2020.
Meanwhile,the goals will be associated into socio-economic targets of each locality. Thehealth insurance verification will be intensified with more inspections todetect violations and give timely handling measures. The agency will also workclosely with the health care sector to enhance the quality of services forthose who join health insurance right from the locallevel.-VNA
VNA
