Mr. Nguyen Van Toan (character name changed - PV) said: His father has been treating bone marrow pain (pathcode C90.0) since August 2022.
According to the protocol, my father needed to use Lenalidomide 25 mg and Ixazomib 4 mg. However, this type of drug is not covered by health insurance (HI), so my family had to pay entirely on their own, each course costing nearly 50,000,000 VND.
The amount to be paid exceeds the economic capacity of the family, especially when both my father and mother are over the working age but do not have pensions or other stable income sources. This is also the concern of many poor patients" - Mr. Toan shared.
Mr. Toan proposed that competent authorities consider including the above drugs in the list of drugs covered by health insurance (total or partial); Have policies to support the cost of specialized drugs for patients with dangerous diseases in difficult circumstances.
Answering this question, the Ministry of Health said: For Lenalidomid 25 mg: Currently, Lenalidomid orally has been included in the list of drugs issued by Circular No. 20/2022/TT-BYT dated December 31, 2022 of the Ministry of Health promulgating the list and rates, conditions for payment for pharmaceuticals, biological products, radioactive drugs and markers within the scope of enjoyment of health insurance participants (STT 421).
The list of drugs under the coverage of the Health Insurance Fund only specifies the name of the active ingredient, without specifying the concentration and content. Therefore, currently Lenalidomid 25 mg oral medication is under the coverage of the Health Insurance Fund.
The selection of specific commercial drugs is paid by the Health Insurance Fund at medical examination and treatment facilities by the medical examination and treatment facility to develop a plan and organize procurement bidding according to regulations to ensure meeting treatment needs.
For Ixazomid 4 mg: The Ministry of Health is reviewing, amending and supplementing the Circular promulgating the list of chemical pharmaceuticals paid for by the Health Insurance Fund to meet treatment needs and ensure the rights of health insurance participants.
It is expected that the list of drugs under the payment range of the Health Insurance Fund this update will add many new generation drugs with high treatment effectiveness, including Ixazomid drugs.
The Ministry of Health also said that the Ministry is seeking widespread comments from agencies, units, and individuals on the Ministry of Health's Electronic Information Portal to complete the draft Circular and the accompanying list.
However, to ensure the affordability of the Health Insurance Fund, drugs with high treatment costs will have to be carefully considered and evaluated to decide on payment, possibly having to stipulate payment conditions or only being paid at a certain rate.
