In response to the opinions of voters in Cao Bang Province on the issue of payment for patients with health cards who have to pay for their medicines and medical supplies which are on the list of the health insurance fund because shortage of drugs in hospitals, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the Ministry is considering an appropriate payment mechanism for these patients.
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the current list of drugs and medical supplies covered by the health insurance fund relatively meets medicine and medical needs, in accordance with the payment capacity of the health insurance fund.
However, medical examination and treatment facilities must comply with the present regulations on procurement and selection of drug supply contractors by legal regulations on bidding to have drugs and medical supplies. However, currently, there have been still hiccups along the way for the implementation of procurement and bidding.
In addition, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the supply of drugs and medical supplies is also affected and disrupted, many manufacturers do not have enough raw materials to produce and distribute medicines and medical supplies. This also leads to increased prices of drugs and medical supplies so procurement and bidding become more difficult.
To overcome the above problem, Minister Dao Hong Lan said that in 2023, the Ministry of Health issued the Circular 06/2023 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular 15/2019 regulating drug bidding at public medical facilities. Moreover, the Ministry also issued the Circular 14/2023 on the order and procedures for establishing prices of medicine and medical supply bidding packages at public medical facilities.
Currently, the Ministry of Health is also coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to synchronously deploy solutions, such as reviewing and completing legal documents with a focus on perfecting legal documents of procurement and bidding of drugs and medical supplies. Especially the Ministry is going to make adjustments in procurement regulations in accordance with the provisions of the new Bidding Law.
The head of the Health Ministry said that the ministry will amend and supplement the list with more drugs and supplies to meet treatment needs and ensure the rights of health insurance buyers.
In addition, the ministry will focus on speeding up the implementation of national centralized bidding and price negotiations, urging medical examination and treatment facilities and related units to ensure procurement and supply of drugs for patients.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health is also studying to develop regulations on payment mechanisms for people who have to buy medicines and medical supplies which are covered by the insurance agency to ensure their rights.
