Strengthening the protection of health insurance (HI) patients in hot weather Vietnam Social Insurance (VSS) has just issued Official Letter No. 1136/BHXH-CSYT to Social Insurance in areas requesting the immediate implementation of a number of solutions to enhance the protection of health insurance patients in hot weather.
Recently, Vietnam Social Security has received some comments reflecting on the fact that the examination area and inpatient treatment rooms at some health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities do not have temperature regulation or do have them but cannot be used in hot weather, affecting the rights and health of patients.
According to Vietnam Social Insurance, the cost of beds is paid by the health insurance fund according to regulations; in 2024 alone, the health insurance fund will pay for bed costs, accounting for 24.8% of the total cost of inpatient health insurance.
In order to enhance the protection of the rights of health insurance patients in accordance with regulations, especially in hot weather, Vietnam Social Insurance requires social insurance in areas to seriously implement the following contents:
Report to the People's Committees of provinces/cities directly under the Central Government to direct the Department of Health and health insurance-covered medical facilities to fully ensure the legitimate rights of health insurance participants, protect health and improve the quality of medical examination and treatment for patients, in the document it is necessary to clearly report:
According to the provisions of Decision No. 3072/QD-BYT dated May 21, 2018 of the Ministry of Health, temporarily promulgating technical and economic norms as a basis for building prices for medical examination and treatment services, prices for health insurance medical examination and treatment services (examination, beds and technical services) have been restructured with direct costs to ensure medical examination and treatment, including full calculation of electricity costs, maintenance costs of air conditioning and temperature control at medical examination areas, inpatient treatment rooms, operating rooms, operating rooms, etc.
Circular No. 15/2018/TT-BYT dated May 30, 2018 and Circulars regulating the unification of health insurance service prices for health insurance treatment between hospitals of the same class nationwide and guiding the application of prices and payment of health insurance treatment costs in some cases have stipulated the responsibilities of health insurance facilities Must use funds equivalent to equipment maintenance and maintenance costs, buy replacements of structures in medical examination service prices, treatment bed days (special hospitals, class I, class II equivalent to 5% of the price, class III, class IV hospitals, not yet classified equivalent to 3% of the price) to repair, upgrade, and expand the examination area and treatment departments;
Buying additional or replaceable: tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, carts, air conditioners, fans, heating lights, fans, computers, general and specialized medical examination equipment; blankets, accelerators, pillows, mattresses, showers; ... to ensure professional conditions, hygiene, patient safety and improve the quality of patient care".
Clause 2, Article 15 of Circular No. 21/2024/TT-BYT dated October 17, 2024 of the Ministry of Health stipulating the method of evaluating medical examination and treatment services also stipulates that medical examination and treatment facilities are responsible for "Using funds from revenue in accordance with the costs included in the price of medical examination and treatment services to purchase and repair medical equipment that is not fixed assets to ensure professional conditions, hygiene, patient safety and improve the quality of patient service".
Social Insurance requires Social Insurance of localities to have documents requesting health insurance treatment facilities to strengthen heat prevention for patients, ensure that the examination area and inpatient treatment area are airy in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health; do not let the situation of only using the medical examination area as required, the new treatment room as required to use the air conditioner or the department or ward with air conditioning but broken or unusable, so that patients are forced to seek treatment at the medical examination area as required or the treatment room as required.
Direct the staff and employees of the Health Insurance regime Department to coordinate with health insurance medical facilities to review the prevention of heat for health insurance patients.
In case of detecting that a medical examination and treatment facility does not ensure heat protection, affecting the health and satisfaction of health insurance patients, promptly report to the Provincial People's Committee to direct the Department of Health and health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities to have solutions to prevent heat and avoid the situation of only setting up medical examination and treatment areas as required, and the treatment room according to the new requirements to arrange air conditioners and air conditioners.
