Proposing the first subjects to receive free periodic health check-ups from 2026

The Ministry of Justice recently announced the appraisal dossier of the National Assembly's draft resolution on a number of mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.

The Ministry of Health estimates that it will cost about 6,000 billion VND/year to provide free periodic medical examinations for the elderly, the disabled, and people from poor and near-poor households.

The draft, chaired by the Ministry of Health, aims to institutionalize Resolution 72 of the Politburo on a number of breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health.

The Government proposed to submit the draft resolution to the National Assembly for comments and approval at the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly (October).

Regarding the solution to gradually reduce medical costs for people, we will conduct free periodic health check-ups at least once a year according to priority groups and schedules.

In the immediate future, free periodic health check-ups will be carried out for the elderly, the disabled, the poor, near-poor, meritorious people, people living in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, areas with difficult or especially difficult socio-economic conditions, island communes, and special economic zones. The Ministry of Health estimates the cost at about 6,000 billion VND/year, with the number of subjects gradually increasing according to the roadmap.

According to the Ministry of Health, free annual health check-ups or screenings will be provided to people from 2026 for priority groups of about 20 million people.

The draft resolution also states that basic hospital fees are exempted within the scope of health insurance benefits according to the roadmap, in accordance with the country's socio-economic development conditions.

From 2027, increase the level of benefits within the scope of health insurance benefits from 95% to 100% for people in near-poor households and people aged 75 and over receiving social pension benefits.

The draft resolution also proposes to allow pilot implementation and diversification of health insurance packages and supplementary health insurance according to people's needs.

Regarding solutions on salary and allowance policies for medical staff, the draft resolution stipulates that from 2026, doctors, preventive medicine doctors and pharmacists will be ranked from level 2 in salary.

People who regularly and directly work in medical professions in the fields of psychiatry, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry, emergency resuscitation, and pathology are entitled to a preferential occupational allowance at the rate of 100%.

People who regularly and directly work in medical profession at commune-level health stations and preventive health facilities are entitled to a preferential occupational allowance of 100% for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, areas with especially difficult socio-economic conditions, border areas and islands. For cases not in the above areas, the minimum is 70%.

The Ministry of Health estimates the total cost to implement is about 4,481.1 billion VND.

Regarding specialized training in the health sector, according to the Ministry of Health, training and granting of specialized training degrees in the health sector has been implemented in Vietnam for more than 50 years but has not been recognized in the diploma system of the national education system while specialized trained medical personnel are the core force in all medical facilities.

They are also an important factor helping the Vietnamese medical industry gradually deploy techniques on par with the medical level of advanced countries in the region and the world.

The content of the draft resolution is to guide and institutionalize the content of Resolution No. 72 "Implementing specialized training at the postgraduate level in the national education system in the health sector managed by the Ministry of Health" to establish special mechanisms and policies on training health human resources.

PV (synthesis)

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/de-xuat-nhung-doi-tuong-dau-tien-duoc-kham-suc-khoe-mien-phi-dinh-ky-tu-2026-521919.html