No price for organ transplant technique, insurance patients suffer losses

The Ministry of Health has not yet set a price for organ transplant surgery, making it difficult to pay for it with the social insurance agency. Organ donors still have to pay 20% of the cost of health insurance treatment.

The Ministry of Health has not yet issued prices for organ transplant services, so health insurance patients have not yet enjoyed full benefits.

The above information was announced by a representative of Hanoi Social Insurance at a workshop on "Organ and tissue transplantation" at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital (Hanoi) held today, December 6.

And when there is no price, it is very difficult for patients and hospitals to pay the social insurance agency.

According to the representative of Hanoi Social Insurance, in the case of organ transplants, it is a matter of social security, so the social insurance agency is applying the payment of health insurance benefits in the way of paying for the cost of drugs and medical supplies actually used for organ transplant patients, so the patient's rights are not guaranteed according to the Health Insurance Law. Therefore, the Vietnam Organ Transplant Association needs to propose that organ transplants are a technical service that needs to be priced.

Along with the above-mentioned shortcomings in health insurance benefits for patients with organ transplant indications, the representative of Hanoi Social Insurance also said that the benefits of organ donors also need to be adjusted.

"Currently, health insurance cards are incubated free of charge after the organ donor completes the procedures, meaning when they have left the hospital. Thus, the previous costs, when the organ donor enters the hospital for surgery to remove the donated organ, are not known where to pay," the representative of Social Insurance reflected the reality, and suggested that the Ministry of Health consider including it in regulations to ensure the rights of organ donors.

In addition, organ donors currently enjoy 80% of health insurance benefits, but still have to pay 20%. It is recommended that the Ministry of Health issue regulations to increase the benefit level to 95 or 100%.

"The social insurance also supports this, because we encourage people to donate organs, so we also need to take better care of them," said a representative of the Hanoi Social Insurance.

As a participant in the first organ transplants in Vietnam, Dr. Duong Duc Hung, Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, who has just received the decision to become Vice President of the Vietnam Organ Transplant Association, said that up to now, Viet Duc Hospital has performed 2,060 kidney transplants, 137 liver transplants, 90 heart transplants, 6 lung transplants; and performed thousands of tissue transplants (skull, blood vessels, tendons, cartilage, pericardium, nerve tissue, trachea...) from tissue sources received and preserved by the hospital.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chua-co-gia-cho-ky-thuat-ghep-tang-benh-nhan-bao-hiem-chiu-thiet-185241206151037257.htm