Medical funds for poor people to be set up
Ha Noi, June 21 (VNA) -- The Health Ministry has initiated the establishment of funds at both central and local levels to cover medical examinations and treatment charges for the poor across the country.
The initiative was brought up for debate at a conference held in Ha Noi on June 20, under the guidance of Health Minister Prof. Do Nguyen Phuong. He worked together with senior officials from the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs; the Ministry of Finance and relevant services of many cities and provinces.
According to the Health Ministry, the funds will be sourced from the Government-sponsored poverty alleviation fund, local budgets, and contributions by foreign and dosmestic business entrepreneurs, and charity organizations. Health insurance and private medical services will also contribute to the fund.
The fund will enable all poor households, accounting for about 20 percent of the country's population, to obtain healthcare insurance cards. This will be accompanied by the building of free medical clinics and sending mobile healthcare teams to isolated and remote mountainous regions.
The grassroots-level medical network will also be reinforced by the allocation of doctors to more than 52 percent of Viet Nam's communes. This will help more poor people to receive crucial access to on-spot medical services.
For the past three years, the number of poor people receiving wholly or partially free medical treatment was 3.13 million in 1998, 3.11 million in 1999, and 3.22 million last year. This accounted for about 40 percent of hospitalized people with a total exempted sum of VND 104.3 million in 1998, VND 107.3 million in 1999, and VND 125.8 million in 2000, the Health Ministry said.
However, it added that only 1,367,523 poor people have been offered health insurance cards, accounting for 30 percent of the total 4.5 million poor people who are named by the Government to have such cards.--VNA
