Covid-19 treatment is no longer free

June will move Covid from group A to group B

At a press conference held by the Ministry of Health on the afternoon of June 14, regarding how Covid-19 treatment costs will be implemented when moving from group A to group B, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong stated that when moving from group A to group B, Covid-19 will no longer be treated for free, but instead will be paid according to health insurance regulations for people participating in health insurance.

"When moving from group A to group B, treatment will not be free, but people with health insurance cards will be paid according to health insurance regulations. When moving to group B, there will be changes in payment, but the treatment regimen and method will remain the same," said Ms. Huong.

Ms. Huong said that the Ministry of Health has prepared with the Ministry of Justice to advise the Prime Minister on a decision to transfer the disease from group A to group B.

Along with that, the Ministry is also revising professional guidelines on disease prevention and control monitoring, diagnosis and treatment, and prevention of Covid-19 infection...

“The transition from group A to group B is expected to take place in June 2023. When the Prime Minister signs the announcement of the expiration of Decision 447 (decision to declare the Covid-19 epidemic), the Ministry of Health will simultaneously sign and issue instructions on the transition of Covid-19 from group A to group B,” Ms. Huong added.

Prof. Dr. Phan Trong Lan - Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine informed about the transfer of Covid-19 from group A to group B.

Also at the press conference, Prof. Dr. Phan Trong Lan - Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine said that when Covid-19 moves from group A to group B, the Covid-19 epidemic ends, the responsibility of the locality and each person in epidemic prevention is very large.

The goal is to effectively and sustainably control Covid-19 and other infectious diseases in the area. "However, Covid-19 is a virus that can mutate frequently, so in the coming time, even if Covid-19 moves to group B, it is still necessary to promote gene sequencing," said Mr. Lan.

According to Mr. Lan, the sustainable control plan integrates Covid-19 with respiratory diseases such as influenza and severe viral pneumonia syndromes, integrated into the key surveillance system. "When the disease changes abnormally, it can be detected quickly, especially when there is a new variant," said Mr. Lan.

Mr. Lan also added that when moving from group A to group B, according to the Law on Prevention of Infectious Diseases, classification is mainly based on pathology.

In Vietnam, group A mainly includes social administrative measures, travel restrictions, and tighter epidemic containment, while group B almost completely eliminates social administrative control activities. In other words, if group A is followed by other ministries and sectors participating in the fight against the epidemic, in addition to the health sector. When group B is followed by group B, it is mainly the health sector that implements it and people participate more.

3 reasons to adjust Covid-19 disease

According to the Ministry of Health, from the beginning of the year to May 29, the country recorded more than 85,000 Covid-19 cases. On average, our country has 17,000 cases per month, down 8.5 times compared to 2021 and down 48 times compared to 2022.

Besides, Vietnam also recorded 20 deaths due to Covid-19, the mortality rate dropped sharply to 0.02% (in 2021 it was 1.86%, in 2022 it was 0.1%).

The deaths recorded during this period were all cases with serious underlying diseases that were being treated before, most of whom had not received enough doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Currently, the rate of Covid-19 patients hospitalized is lower, and the rate of severe cases is also equal to or lower than some group B infectious diseases.

The number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people in Vietnam is 1.6 times higher than the world average. The primary dose vaccination rate is 1.4 times higher than the world average. The booster vaccination rate is 2 times higher than the world average.

The responsibility of the locality and each citizen in epidemic prevention is very great.

Based on the development of the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam, comparing the provisions of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and following the updated recommendations of the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health has proposed to adjust the Covid-19 disease from group A to group B for the following 3 reasons:

According to the World Health Organization, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) is still a virus with a fast transmission rate. However, in Vietnam, the number of cases and mortality rates have decreased sharply, equivalent to or lower than the mortality rates of some group B infectious diseases in the past 5 years such as: Dengue fever, malaria, diphtheria, whooping cough, etc.

The causative agent of Covid-19 has been clearly identified as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Covid-19 currently meets the criteria for Group B infectious diseases as prescribed in Point b, Clause 1, Article 3 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases: Group B includes dangerous infectious diseases that can spread rapidly and can cause death.

Previously, on June 3, 2023, at the 20th Session, the National Steering Committee agreed to meet the conditions to transfer Covid-19 from group A to group B. This is an important milestone marking the success in preventing and fighting the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam .

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/benh-covid-19-khong-con-duoc-dieu-tri-mien-phi-a612589.html