Around 1.5 million students nationwide, or 7.5 per cent of all students, have not joined the national health insurance scheme, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

Health insurance cards. — Photo dantri.com.vn

Health insurance enrolment among students, however, is higher than before because of subsidies, Ngu Duy Anh, head of the ministry’s Physical Education Department, said at a conference held on Wednesday in HCM City.

During the 2016-2017 school year, nearly 16 million pupils and students participated in health insurance, accounting for 92.5 per cent of the total students nationwide, Anh said.

However, moving towards universal health insurance requires expanding participation in health insurance among students, according to Dang Hong Nam, deputy head of the Ministry of Health’s Health Insurance Department.

Significant efforts have been taken to enroll pupils and students, with the government subsidising at least 30 per cent of the premium for students.

To expand coverage, it is crucial to increase public awareness of the importance of health insurance.

Nguyen Xuan Tu, an official with the Viet Nam Social Security agency, said that coverage was still insufficient because of the financial burden of paying for health insurance and the lack of understanding about health insurance among educational institutions.

The Viet Nam Social Security agency plans to cooperate more closely with central and local educational agencies to expand the coverage.

It will apply payment flexibility on premiums and set out enrolment targets through schools and universities. — VNS