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Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stresses necessity of hospital transfer procedure |
During today's National Assembly session, Deputy Nguyen Anh Tri, Former Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion suggested removing the hospital transfer certificate to ease patients who complained about troublesome, time-consuming hospital transfer paper-related procedures and removing the list of drugs covered by health insurance.
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan explained that the old Law on Medical Examination and Treatment stipulates that medical examination and treatment is divided into 4 levels, while the new law is divided into 3 levels, clearly stating the conditions for which level of medical examination and treatment at which level, based on the ability to meet the requirements of medical facilities and patients’ condition.
According to her, since 2014, patients were transferred from lower to higher levels sequentially, but by 2016, patients could be directly transferred to bigger infirmaries in districts, and in 2021, patients with health insurance cards enjoy the benefits at any provincial hospitals which are not their first choice of hospitals throughout the country as same as those who go to their first choice of hospitals.
The Minister of Health emphasized the necessity of hospital transfer papers that clearly state patients’ illness condition, treatment history as well as medical records; therefore, hospital transfer paper or electronic procedure are also essential.
The Minister of Health affirmed that hospital transfer must meet the medical examination and treatment requirements of patients and the medical examination and treatment capacity of each level, avoiding patient overload when transferred to bigger infirmaries.
However, to reduce administrative procedures, the Ministry of Health is focusing on hospital transfer electronically to ease patients’ difficulties.
Upon the suggestion that the Ministry should remove the list of drugs covered by health insurance, Minister Dao Hong Lan said that the list of drugs covered by health insurance is regularly updated. In 2024, the Ministry of Health will issue a circular to update this list, ensuring enough drugs to treat people and manage the Health Insurance Fund. Vietnam is considered one of the countries with the best list of drugs provided by health insurance to patients.
