The National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs held its seventh plenary session yesterday in Hanoi to discuss health insurance, tobacco control funds and national targets for gender equality.

The National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs held its seventh plenary session yesterday in Hanoi to discuss health insurance, tobacco control funds and national targets for gender equality.

The session, expected to last for two days, is also expected to discuss the implementation of law-making programmes for 2018 and the drafting of law-making programmes for 2019 on health, and labour and social affairs issues. 

According to a report presented at the meeting, by the end of 2016, the total number of people participating in health insurance topped 75.91 million, some 6.25 million more than in 2015, reaching a coverage rate of 81.9 per cent of the population. The country used VNĐ831 billion (US$36.9 million) of health insurance funds in 2016. Reserve funds this year are expected to exceed VNĐ38 trillion ($1.68 billion).

The report also raised concerns over the misuse of the health insurance funds intended for medical check-ups and treatment.

The selection, purchasing and use of drugs and medical supplies were also not cost-effective.

Deputy Pham Xuan Thang from the northern province of Hai Duong said pressure to recover investments in advanced health equipment had led to ordering unnecessary tests, an abuse of the fund.

The Government has proposed measures to manage, use and balance the health insurance fund, emphasising the strict implementation of sanctions against debts and evading health insurance as well as prices of health services to ensure proper benefits for participations.

The Government also proposed measures to reform administrative procedures, apply information technology in managing health check-ups and treatment and to intensify the inspection, supervision and handling of scamming the health insurance fund. 

VNS