Inadequacies in current regulations
One of the main reasons for the difficulties for doctors is that the regulations for prescribing health insurance drugs are becoming increasingly strict. The application of a limited list of health insurance drugs and strict requirements on treatment regimens force doctors to consider carefully when prescribing. Drugs not on the health insurance list, although necessary and highly effective, are not covered by the health insurance fund, causing many inconveniences in the treatment process.
In addition, regulations related to the time of drug dispensing also cause difficulties for doctors. In many cases, patients with chronic diseases requiring long-term treatment are only given health insurance drugs for a short period of time, forcing them to return for regular check-ups to renew their prescriptions. This not only wastes time but also increases pressure on medical facilities.
Pressure from patients
Doctors not only have to comply with regulations but also face great pressure from patients.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu - Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital - shared about the difficulties that doctors encounter in prescribing health insurance drugs: There is not a day that goes by that I do not encounter a case where a patient is having regular health insurance check-ups but still wants to check whether his prescription is the best or not.
He stressed that patients' arbitrarily using non-prescription drugs or combining multiple drugs from different sources can be harmful to their health.
He also noted that prescribing too many supplements in a prescription can lead to waste and cause unwanted side effects for patients.
To solve these problems, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu recommends that patients should choose a long-term treatment doctor, strictly follow the instructions for using the medicine and inform the doctor about all the medicines they are using to avoid unwanted drug interactions.
Associate Professor Dr. Hieu also proposed that the health system needs to improve the drug procurement and bidding process to ensure adequate supply of drugs for patients, avoiding drug shortages that lead to doctors having to prescribe drugs not covered by health insurance.
These shortcomings not only affect the effectiveness of treatment but also strain the relationship between doctors and patients. Doctors, in their role as healers, must not only provide optimal treatment options but also explain and convince patients to accept solutions that are within the affordability of health insurance.
On the other hand, the pressure of balancing health insurance fund costs and meeting patient needs also makes doctors easily fall into a state of exhaustion, reducing the quality of work. In many cases, doctors are forced to make compromise choices that are not really optimal for patients.
To overcome these difficulties, there needs to be synchronous improvements from management agencies, medical facilities and health insurance policies.
