VSS, MoH Sign Coordination Regulations on Health Insurance Policy Making and Enforcement

The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) recently held a ceremony to sign the Coordination Regulations on making and enforcing policies and legal regulations on health insurance in Hanoi.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long emphasized that, under the leadership of the Party and the State, the enforcement of health insurance policies and laws in the country has achieved a lot of important results. Currently, nearly 90% of Vietnamese people hold health insurance policies and this rate will reach 95% soon. The Health Insurance Fund is an important funding vehicle for operations of the health sector and helped health facilities to provide better services.

“The Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Security are on the same boat. Each is on one side of the boat. They must row together for the boat to move forward. Therefore, the promulgation and signing of the Coordination Regulations is essential to better implement health insurance regulations; overcome existing shortcomings and limitations, stay consistent with actual socioeconomic development, science and technology, expand and enhance the quality of health services covered by the Health Insurance Fund,” he said.

Sharing the same viewpoint with Acting Minister Long on the need for a new coordination regulation with a new vision in place of the coordination regulation signed in 2008, VSS General Director emphasized that, in the past years, especially the last five years, the coordination between the two sides has achieved new progress, importantly helping protect people’s health. That coordination clearly demonstrates the development of legal policies on insured medical examination and treatment; build and issue guiding documents, and create unity to minimize difficulties in implementing health insurance policies in the locality. One of outstanding coordination activities between the two sectors is information technology application to reform medical examination and treatment procedures and payment of insured medical examination and treatment.

The Coordination Regulations include three chapters and 11 articles stipulating principles and contents of coordination in health insurance policy and law construction and implementation between MoH and VSS. Accordingly, the coordination principle is based on the fulfilment of and compliance with Party guidelines and State laws and on functions, duties and powers of each party. Ensuring that coordinated activities are performed in a timely, consistent and united manner, both parties regularly provide and exchange information on construction and execution of health insurance policies, laws and plans to deal with emerging difficulties in executing health insurance laws.

Regarding the coordination content, the Ministry of Health and Social Insurance of Vietnam shall coordinate to develop policies and laws on health insurance, including: Developing legal documents; developing an overall strategy and planning for the development of health insurance; formulating and submitting to the Government solutions to ensure the balance of the health insurance fund; evaluating the implementation of legal documents on health insurance. Besides, MoH and VSS will coordinate to direct and guide the implementation of health insurance regulations; disseminate and inform policies and laws on health insurance; jointly inspect, examine and handle violations and settle complaints and denunciations about health insurance; work together to conduct scientific research and international cooperation in health insurance; and coordinate to implement the approved Government Project on promoting online public social insurance services at Level 4 and public services on the basis of data sharing between VSS and other concerned agencies.

VSS and MoH leaders believe that the Coordination Regulations will be a solid foundation for their more effective coordination, importantly helping execute health insurance laws in Vietnam, complete the goal of universal health insurance and ensure effectiveness of people's healthcare in the coming time.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum