Medical service cost to increase from March 1

In its document to guide medical facilities across the country about medical service cost, Vietnamese Ministry of Health announced medical services will increase by 30 percent as it pluses bonus of surgeons after performing an operation and medical workers’ night shifts.

In its document to guide medical facilities across the country about medical service cost, Vietnamese Ministry of Health announced medical services will increase by 30 percent as it pluses bonus of surgeons after performing an operation and medical workers’ night shifts.

Next, from July 1, cost of medical services will surge by 50 percent when it includes medical workers’ salary.

Nguyen Nam Lien, head of the ministry's Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Health said that as per a guideline document issued by inter-ministries Health and Finance, from March 1, cost of 1,887 medical services will go up by 30 percent compared to the present as it includes surgeons’ bonus for an operation and medical workers’ night shifts.

Next, from July 1, when medical workers’ salary is added into hospital fee, price of medical service will continue leaping by 50 percent compared to that at present.

He asserted that medical service fee adjustment is carried out gradually as per a roadmap and it is a practical change to meet the reality and it abide by the Party, the National Assembly and the government’s guideline.

Mr. Lien added that the medical service cost adjustment just applied for people with health insurance cards. The country has nearly 77 percent health insurance card holders; accordingly it will not much affect patients. Medical service increase will apply for all people by end of 2016.

For instance, hospital bed charges will increase from VND80,000-per day to VND215,000 a day in the first-class hospital and the cost of examination will rise from VND20,000 to VND40,000, among other price hikes, said Mr. Lien.

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