Vietnam to spend VND 2,380 billion for healthcare insurance

By Huong Giang, VGP

HANOI -- Vietnam plans to spend some VND 2,381 billion this year to support more than six million near-poor people to purchase health insurance cards, said Pham Luong Son from the Vietnam Social Insurance.

Official statistics show that Vietnam has some 1,530,295 near-poor households.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently decided to raise the support rate for health insurance cards from 50% up to 70% for the near-poor households.

With the additional 20%, the number of households to join health insurance will surely increase, said Mr. Son.

Under the Law on Health Insurance, 100% population shall be compulsory to join health insurance. To fulfill this task, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with other ministries and agencies, designed a development plan for the 2011- 2015 period and 2020.

The plan aims to raise the number of insured to more than 75% by 2015 and about 85% by 2020. That would create stable financial resources to provide people with health care in an equitable and efficient way.

In detail, the plan would see 50% of near-poor people receive health insurance by 2015 and 79% in 2020. The rate among students will be 100% and middle-income households 40% in 2015 and 65% in 2020 while for labourers it will be 75% in 2015 and 90% in 2020.

By the end of last year, up to 63.7% of the population signed up for health insurance. Of this number, 14 million are from poor and ethnic minority groups while 10 million are children under six and other beneficiaries.

Around 74% of farmers and tradecraft villagers have not purchased health insurance cards. The rate is 49% among workers at enterprises and 75% among near-poor groups. (Photo ? Jordan Hydro 6 Sandals