Patients wonder
The Ministry of Health proposed to reorganize E Hospital into a facility under Bach Mai Hospital, aiming to form a model of a chain of leading hospitals with a unified management system.
This arrangement plan is built on the spirit of streamlining the apparatus and rearranging public service units according to the direction of the Central Steering Committee on summarizing Resolution 18.
One of the areas that people are particularly interested in is the benefits of medical examination and treatment, health insurance (HI).
Having participated in health insurance at E Hospital for more than two decades, Ms. Le Thi Men, 75 years old on Nguyen Phong Sac Street (Hanoi), shared: She was quite surprised to hear that E Hospital could merge into Bach Mai. As a diabetic patient who has to come for check-ups and receive medicine every month, Ms. Men is worried that the merger will disrupt the medical examination and treatment process, health insurance cards and the familiar team of doctors. I am used to treatment here, the doctor knows the condition, so if there is a change, I hope it will not affect patients like us, she said.
Mr. Tran Van Quang, 70 years old, a retired teacher in Nghia Tan apartment complex, currently treating liver disease at Hospital E, shared: Central hospitals are currently overloaded and lacking human resources at many stages. In that context, the merger of two major hospitals - both with reputable brands and a team of experienced doctors - made him wonder about the ability to maintain and even improve the quality of medical services. "Simplifying the administrative apparatus is necessary, we also hope that the quality of medical examination and treatment will be improved," he said.
According to Mr. Quang, the health sector should expand the hospital network and strengthen grassroots health care, because central-level hospitals have already carried a huge number of patients from all over.
"What patients want most is still the quality of service and convenience of treatment, but merging is not only to reduce focal points" - Mr. Quang expressed.
The Ministry of Health has not announced the merger roadmap
Currently, the Ministry of Health has not announced a specific roadmap or merger plan, but the proposal has attracted great public attention, especially regarding the impact on patients and professional activities of the two hospitals.
Although there is no roadmap for merger, in mid-2025, a number of medical facilities will be organized, merged or renamed. To ensure the rights of patients, the Government has issued Decree 188/ND-CP, clearly stipulating transitional provisions in this period.
Accordingly, medical facilities are allowed to continue to use existing service fees, operating licenses and health insurance examination and treatment contracts until they are newly granted or re-approved. People still have the right to health insurance examination and treatment, health insurance cards and related information are still valid until the authorities adjust them.
In addition, the People's Committees of provinces and cities are assigned the authority to handle arising situations to ensure uninterrupted medical examination and treatment activities, while maintaining stable payment and supply of drugs and medical equipment during the transition period. These regulations take effect from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
