The Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) will issue medical records books for all Vietnamese citizens this year following a pilot scheme in certain areas in the northern provinces of Phu Tho and Bac Ninh.

VSI deputy general director Pham Luong Son said the medical insurance fund would cover the costs of the books for the insured, which are estimated to amount to VND5 trillion this year.

Meanwhile, provincial budgets will pay an estimated VND720 billion for the medical records books for the uninsured.    

Data of the book holders will be stored in VSI’s information system and shared with health authorities in the country’s 63 provinces and cities.

The medical records book will contain data on general health checkups, weight, height and blood type, among others.   

Medical records of residents can be retrievable from the country’s healthcare management system. Hospitals can quickly learn about patients’ medical history and disease-hit areas thanks to the system.

Luong Ngoc Khue, head of the medical treatment division under the Ministry of Health, said 70% of Vietnamese cancer patients are hospitalized when their health conditions turn bad, leading to a high mortality rate among cancer patients.

SGT