VietNamNet Bridge – Public hospitals are expected to increase fees by the end of the  year, according to an official from the Ministry of Health.

Nguyen Nam Lien, director of the Financial Planning Department, said the Ministry of Health has classified surgical procedures into different cost categories.

Charges for hospital beds will increase by VND11,000-20,000/bed/day, while charges for surgery will rise by VND190,000 to VND1.52 million, and the cost of minor surgery will increase by VND28,500 to VND300,000/case.

According to Lien, the additional money will be used to pay for surgical crews.

The new hospital charges will be applied in late 2014.

Most recently, hospital fees were increased in August 2012 and now hospitals in 14 provinces have asked the Ministry of Health to raise the fees again.

Specifically, Binh Dinh province wants to increase charges for more than 800 services by 60% to 75-80%. Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ninh Thuan, Dong Thap, An Giang and Hau Giang suggest raising the prices of some services, while Hanoi proposes an increase of 90-100% over the current hospital costs.

Lien says the increase is appropriate because current hospital charges are low and the adjustment will not affect those who have health insurance cards.

The proposals of the above provinces must be approved by their respective People’s Councils.

Xuan Ly