The health sector also achieved and exceeded nine out of 11 basic health indicators set out in 2018, as heard at the sector's conference in Hanoi on January 15 to review its operations in 2018 and outline plans for 2019.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaks at the conference.

Addressing the event, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that, healthcare at grassroots levels has seen significant changes in the past few years.

Approximately 90% of health stations at commune level have doctors and 95% of health stations at communes have pediatric obstetricians or midwives.

Last year, the Health Ministry also truncated 1,363 out of 1,871 conditions on business and 169 out of 234 administrative procedures, and built 38 online public services, helping to save over VND3 trillion (US$129 million), the minister noted.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam lauded the health sector for its considerable achievements in 2018, including the health insurance coverage, the number of hospital beds, and the bidding for procurement of medicines.

In 2019, the health sector should make greater efforts to reach universal health insurance coverage, gain financial autonomy, promote the application of technology in medical examination and treatment, among others.

Bac Giang strives for high coverage of health insurance

(BGO) – The Bac Giang provincial People’s Committee (PPC) on October 23 held a meeting to review two year implementation of the Direction No.08 dated on September 1, 2016 of Party Committee’s Standing Board  about boosting up the coverage of health insurance in the province in the period of 2016 – 2020 and launching the Action month to call for people of all strata to participate in health insurance in 2019. The event was chaired by Le Anh Duong, Vice Chairman of the PPC. 

 

Vietnam Health Insurance - steps in the right direction

At the Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), held by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI)’s initiative on ‘the application of information and technology (IT) in management, inspection and payment of health insurance’ was honoured with the ISSA’s special prize.

 

New decree issued on compulsory social insurance for foreign workers

The Government has officially issued a decree stipulating in details and guiding the enforcement of the Law on Social Insurance on compulsory social insurance for foreign employees in Vietnam, which will take effect on December 1 this year.

 

Health insurance coverage reaches 87.25 percent of population

Around 81.76 million people have joined health insurance as of the end of August, or 87.25 percent of the population, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS). 

 

VSS, Danish Embassy ink deal on health insurance-related cooperation

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) and the Danish Embassy signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), on August 21, to help the VSS improve its health insurance verification staff’s capacity in 2018 and 2019.

 

Source: NDO