To reduce people's out-of-pocket expenses, it is necessary to transform the health care model in a sustainable way.

SGGPO November 8, 2023 10:25

Responding to Deputy Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan assessed that this is a very good question, of a macro scale. Because the macro scale content related to the requirement to change the healthcare model has been raised in the Party's resolutions. That is, it is necessary to strengthen primary healthcare for the people, strengthen prevention work, and reduce treatment costs.

On the morning of November 8, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired and conducted the question and answer session on the fields of science and technology; education and training; culture, sports and tourism; health; labor, war invalids and social affairs; information and communications.

Regarding the content of questions and answers in the above fields, the National Assembly reserved 1.5 hours for National Assembly deputies to question and leaders of relevant ministries and branches to explain.

In particular, National Assembly delegate Pham Khanh Phong Lan (HCMC) said that Resolution 20 of the Party Central Committee mentioned the goal of reducing the rate of patients using out-of-pocket expenses when using medical services. However, up to now, it can be seen that the implementation has not been effective. The delegate asked the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to have any solutions to achieve this goal.

Deputy Pham Khanh Phong Lan debates. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Responding to Deputy Pham Khanh Phong Lan, the Minister of Health assessed that this was a very good question, of a macro scale. Because the macro scale content related to the requirement to change the healthcare model has been raised in the Party's resolutions. That is, to strengthen primary healthcare for the people, strengthen preventive work, and reduce treatment costs.

The Minister explained why patients’ out-of-pocket spending on health care services is increasing, that is, disease patterns are changing a lot, and people’s demand for health care is increasing. Therefore, people often come to see a doctor when they are sick.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan. Photo: QUANG PHUC

According to the report, cancer patients often come to the hospital for treatment in the late stages, so the cost of medical examination and treatment is high, and the effectiveness of medical care is poor. Therefore, to reduce people's out-of-pocket expenses, the Minister of Health clearly stated that the solution is to transform the model of disease care in a sustainable way. In particular, the health sector focuses on strengthening preventive medicine and screening for early detection of diseases. Along with that, there is a sustainable financial model, increasing the coverage of health insurance policies.

The Minister said that aiming for the target set by the World Health Organization, which is the proportion of people's out-of-pocket spending on health care at 30%, is the only way to have a sustainable health system.

Debating with the Minister of Health, Deputy Duong Khac Mai mentioned the issue of patients having to buy medicine outside when going to the hospital, causing many difficulties, and with very expensive prices, not everyone can afford it.

Deputy Duong Khac Mai (Dak Nong) questioned on the morning of November 8. Photo: QUANG PHUC

The delegate shared that the Ministry of Health has recently faced many difficulties due to the lack of medicine and medical supplies. The delegate requested the Government and relevant ministries to coordinate with the Ministry of Health to ensure the people's right to health care as soon as possible.

“Those who have the means are different, but those who do not have the means are in great difficulty,” the delegate said, asking the Ministry of Health to coordinate with insurance agencies to have timely solutions to ensure the rights of patients when they participate in health insurance, especially poor patients.

Regarding the issue of paying for patients who have to go outside to buy medicine if medical facilities do not have enough medicine to supply according to health insurance regulations, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the Ministry of Health has given specific instructions. Yesterday afternoon, November 7, the Ministry of Health met to discuss these contents to have a specific plan. The Ministry of Health is actively directing the implementation so that when there is an official draft, it will seek opinions from local ministries and branches.

Delegates attending the question and answer session on the morning of November 8. Photo: QUANG PHUC

The Minister emphasized that specific regulations on which conditions patients are covered by insurance and regulations to avoid abuse require strict legal regulations.

“The responsibility for purchasing drugs and medical supplies is the responsibility of medical facilities, so these regulations must be very strict. Regarding the legal basis, there is a provision in Article 31 of the Law on Health Insurance, for cases of health insurance payment, the Ministry of Health is allowed to regulate other cases. However, for this regulation to become a reality, there must be written legal regulations of the Ministry of Health to guide specific implementation,” said the Minister of Health.

Responding to the issue of testing abuse, the Minister of Health acknowledged that recently there has been a situation of excessive testing abuse, causing costly expenses and psychological frustration for patients, while also affecting the Health Insurance Fund - a fund for the entire people, and the responsibility of agencies, sectors and people is to ensure that the fund is developed, stabilized and serves the people.

Delegates attending the question and answer session on the morning of November 8. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Regarding the causes of testing abuse, the Minister acknowledged that one reason is the patient's need for testing, and the other is that the person who prescribes the test wants to quickly and accurately determine the disease, so they often prescribe many tests. In addition, some medical facilities have socialized joint ventures for testing equipment, leading to many tests.

Faced with the above situation, the Ministry of Health has strengthened its direction to avoid testing abuse and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment. Most recently, the newly passed Law on Medical Examination and Treatment has many regulations on this issue...

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/de-giam-tien-tui-cua-nguoi-dan-can-chuyen-doi-mo-hinh-cham-soc-benh-tat-mot-cach-ben-vung-post713206.html