Completeing the final steps to update the drug list
From May 6-8, the Ministry of Health organized the 2026 Vietnam Medical Technology Assessment Conference with the theme "Improving the quality of evidence in medical technology assessment and application solutions in building health insurance payment policies".
On May 6, sharing on the sidelines of the conference, Ms. Tran Thi Trang, Director of the Department of Health Insurance (Ministry of Health) said that the Ministry of Health is making efforts to complete the final steps to update the latest BHYT drug list.
Accordingly, the list of drugs covered by health insurance is expected to add 84 new drugs. In which, 30 cancer treatment drugs are added (accounting for 35.7% of the number of new supplements).
These are mostly newly invented drugs (target treatment drugs, monoclonal antibodies, immunomodulatory drugs...). These drugs often have high treatment costs (due to investment costs in product research and development, large clinical trial costs) but need to be considered for addition to the health insurance drug list.
The Director of the Health Insurance Department assessed that this is the group of drugs with the most new addition proposals, bringing great benefits to patients.
This list update will also help doctors have more choices in treatment, helping patients access advanced treatment regimens of developed countries around the world. At the same time, it will help cancer patients increase their access to treatment.
This also contributes to reducing expenditures from own pockets, reducing the burden of disease for patients and families. Cancer patients are often a vulnerable group with a very large burden of disease due to high and prolonged treatment costs.
According to Ms. Trang, the process of building a new HI drug list is in the stage of professional councils evaluating. Experts are conducting a thorough review of prescriptions, drug use conditions... This is a mandatory procedure, purely professional.
The number of drugs and active ingredients is very large (more than 20 drug groups), so the councils are meeting at full capacity. It is expected that the meetings of the councils will be completed in May. We strive to issue this list in the second quarter," Ms. Trang emphasized.
It has been nearly 8 years since the last time the health insurance drug list was comprehensively updated and supplemented with new drugs in 2018 (according to Circular No. 30/2018/TT-BYT).
Reducing the health insurance co-payment level of patients
According to the Director of the Health Insurance Department, implementing Resolution 72 and Directive 52 of the Secretariat, the Government has assigned the Ministry of Health to study and propose solutions to reduce the co-payment level of patients. Options may include support in cash, medicine or other appropriate forms, with the goal of minimizing the portion of costs that patients have to pay themselves.
According to Ms. Trang, in order to be able to quickly support medical examination and treatment facilities in accessing drug support programs, along with the process of administrative procedure reform, the Ministry of Health has amended and completed Circular 31/2018/TT-BYT. The Circular has been appraised and is preparing to be submitted to the Ministry's leaders for promulgation.
After the Circular is issued, the provision of free medicines to patients will be proactively implemented by units based on uniformity according to forms, guidelines and general regulations of the Ministry. The goal is to gradually simplify administrative procedures, towards no longer requiring approval for these contents.
Previously, support programs mainly applied to original brand-name drugs and inventions. However, according to the new orientation, this scope is expanded, including generic drugs. Accordingly, all types of drugs, whether still copyrighted or expired, if sponsored free of charge by pharmaceutical businesses, are encouraged to be implemented to support patients.
The draft circular also aims to closely link with health insurance policies and the rights of patients. For drugs with high costs but health insurance only pays for a part, the remaining cost is still a burden for patients.
Therefore, management agencies encourage businesses to participate in additional support for this part of the cost, in whole or in part, thereby contributing to reducing the financial burden for patients.
