The Ministry of Health issued a report on the evaluation of the implementation results of Decree 146/2018/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on Health Insurance, which has been amended and supplemented with a number of articles in Decree 75/2023/ND-CP and Decree 02/2025/ND-CP. The report shows that medical examination and treatment procedures in general and health insurance examination and treatment in particular have now been strongly simplified, helping patients reduce waiting time.
The Ministry of Health said that in the past, hospitals have implemented reasonable patient reception, arranged clinics, toll rooms, drug distribution rooms, clinics, and one-stop clinical rooms according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health. In addition, medical examination and treatment procedures in general as well as health insurance examination and treatment in particular have been simplified, reducing waiting time for patients.
After 6 years of implementing Decision 1313/QD-BYT of the Minister of Health, promulgating guidelines for the medical examination process at the hospital's examination department, since 2019, 100% of the hospitals have had a table/reception desk, 95% have a diagram of instructions to departments and rooms. In addition, the rate of hospitals enhancing human resources for 95%of medical examination; The hospital applies information technology to 95%medical examination and treatment; 51% of hospitals worked earlier than the prescribed hours, 45% of the hospital abandoned the pre -medical advance payment, 35% of the hospital abandoned subclinical fees.
According to the Ministry of Health, the work of medical examination and treatment, health insurance payment appraisal has been shortened, accuracy and timeliness in payment has been increased thanks to the promotion of the application of information technology, which has shortened patient waiting time, helping cost payment to be accurate and timely.
Vietnam Social Insurance said that by the end of 2023, 93.628 million people had participated in health insurance, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2022, reaching a health insurance coverage rate of about 93.35% of the population. It is expected that by the end of 2024, about more than 95 million people will participate in health insurance, an increase of 2% compared to 2023, covering about 94.2% of the population.
According to the Ministry of Health, health insurance benefits are relatively comprehensive and are increasingly expanded. The list of drugs, medical equipment, and technical services used according to professional capacity and technical expertise is both to ensure the rights of cardholders when coming to medical facilities and is a requirement to improve the technical expertise of medical facilities.
Every year, the total cost of health insurance examination and treatment supported by the health insurance fund is about 87-89%, and health insurance participants co-pay from 11-13%.
From 2018 to now, the number of health insurance examinations and treatments has increased rapidly. Specifically, in 2018, there were 176.1 million health insurance examinations and treatments, of which the number of outpatients accounted for 160.1 million and inpatients was 16 million.
In 2019, the number of health insurance visits increased compared to 2018. Specifically, the number of health insurance examinations and treatments increased to 184 million, outpatient examinations were 166.9 million, inpatient examinations were 17.1 million.
In the period of 2020-2022, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of health insurance examinations and treatments decreased compared to the period of 2015-2019. In 2020, the number of outpatients and treatment visits under health insurance nationwide was 167.3 million (152 million outpatients and 15.3 million inpatients), down 16.7 million compared to 2019.
In 2021, the number of health insurance examinations and treatments was 126.4 million, down nearly 41 million compared to 2020.
In 2022, when the COVID-19 epidemic situation has stabilized, the number of health insurance examinations and treatments increased to 150.4 million, an increase of 24 million compared to 2021.
In 2023, there will be 174 million visits to health insurance examination and treatment.
In 2024, the number of facilities signing health insurance contracts is 2,897, including 1,791 public facilities and 1,106 non-public facilities.
