The information was shared by Tran Thi Trang, director of the Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health, in an interview with VietNamNet on the sidelines of the 2026 Vietnam Health Technology Assessment Conference held on May 6. The conference focused on improving evidence quality in health technology assessment and solutions for applying it to health insurance reimbursement policy.

Health insurance may cover 30 more cancer drugs

Under the draft amendment to the reimbursement list for pharmaceuticals and biologics, the Ministry of Health plans to add 84 medicines, including 30 cancer drugs. This group accounts for the largest number of additions and mainly includes newly developed medicines such as targeted therapies, monoclonal antibodies and immunotherapy drugs.

The update, the largest in more than eight years, is expected to include over 20 groups of medicines. In addition to cancer drugs, medicines for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, hypertension, neurological disorders, respiratory illnesses and digestive diseases are also proposed for inclusion.

Providing an update on the progress of the reimbursement list, Trang said expert councils for each medicine group are currently conducting evaluations. If the process stays on schedule, professional assessments are expected to be completed in May, followed by legal procedures for official issuance in the second quarter of 2026.

According to the Institute of Strategy and Health Policy under the Ministry of Health, cancer treatment costs remain one of the greatest challenges facing Vietnam’s healthcare system.

Medicines consistently account for the largest share of expenditures from the national health insurance fund. In 2023, the fund spent VND45.841 trillion (US$1.76 billion), accounting for 32.82% of total spending. In 2024, spending rose to VND50.784 trillion (US$1.95 billion), equivalent to 31.22%.

For cancer treatment alone, health insurance payments for oncology medicines exceeded VND7.5 trillion (US$288 million) in 2023, accounting for 15.8% of total insurance-covered medical treatment costs. In 2022, the figure stood at more than VND6.6 trillion (US$253 million), or 14.5%.

Expensive targeted therapies and immunotherapy drugs are still largely not covered by health insurance, forcing most patients to pay out of pocket, creating a heavy burden for families. A patient undergoing targeted therapy or immunotherapy may spend between VND120 million and VND150 million per month (US$4,600-US$5,800).

Rare and severe diseases may gain direct access to top-tier hospitals

Trang also said the department has requested hospitals and local authorities to assess the implementation of Circular 01 after more than one year in effect, particularly regulations concerning the list of 62 rare and severe diseases eligible for direct admission to specialized hospitals without referral documents while still receiving full health insurance benefits.

According to the plan, amendments and supplements to Circular 01 are expected to be issued later this year.

The drafting agency is also considering adding more diseases to the rare and severe disease list, allowing patients to directly access top-tier and central hospitals for treatment, thereby reducing treatment costs.

According to evaluations by specialized agencies under the Ministry of Health, after more than a year of implementing Circular 01, patients have benefited significantly, particularly those with the 10 cancer disease groups classified under code C. The policy allows patients to access specialized hospitals for treatment immediately after receiving confirmed diagnoses.

In addition, several rare and hematological diseases require highly specialized treatment, meaning most patients are now directly referred to leading hospitals such as the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion or Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital.

Vo Thu