For many elderly people who are unable to move, people with severe disabilities or people with mental illness being nurtured at social protection facilities, going to the hospital for medical examination is not easy. Even, in many cases, it is almost an impossible task.
This reality raises the requirement to bring health services closer to the people, instead of just waiting for patients to come to medical examination and treatment facilities. This is also the reason why the mobile medical examination and treatment model is increasingly considered a suitable solution for vulnerable groups in society.
In Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Health has implemented mobile medical examination and treatment activities at social protection centers, nursing homes for the elderly, people with disabilities and people with mental illnesses. Hospitals send teams of doctors, nurses and necessary equipment to the places to examine, treat and monitor people's health.
This model has initially shown clear effectiveness. Many cases of diseases are detected early, chronic diseases are continuously managed, and patients have access to medical services right at their place of residence without having to go through a difficult, costly and potentially risky migration process.
However, one of the major barriers currently is that the health insurance payment mechanism for mobile medical examination and treatment activities is still not really clear.
The main obstacle stems from the application of regulations related to medical examination and treatment locations. While the 2023 Law on Medical Examination and Treatment allows the deployment of mobile medical examination and treatment activities when approved by competent authorities, the payment of health insurance costs for these services still has many different understandings," said a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
If there are no unified guidelines soon, the most disadvantaged people will be those who already have many difficulties in accessing health services. These are all people who need regular health care but find it difficult to go to the hospital for examination and treatment themselves.
Not only affecting the rights of patients, problems with payment mechanisms also affect the sustainability of mobile medical examination and treatment programs. In the context of rapid population aging, the number of people with chronic diseases is increasing and the need for healthcare in the community is increasing, completing the legal corridor for this model is an urgent requirement.
Mobile medical examination and treatment is not simply changing the location of medical service provision. This is a shift in service thinking, from the hospital model waiting for patients to be examined to the model of proactively bringing medical services to people, especially vulnerable people.
To prevent anyone from being left behind in healthcare, it is necessary to soon have a legal mechanism and appropriate health insurance payment for mobile medical examination and treatment activities. When barriers are removed, people will have more opportunities to access healthcare services that are fair, convenient and more humane.
