Changing policy for a more equitable health system

New health policies implemented in 2024 have had a positive impact on people's rights. Changes in the fields of health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology are creating significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of health services.

New health policies implemented in 2024 have had a positive impact on people's rights. Changes in the fields of health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology are creating significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of health services.

With new health policies, people have more convenient access to health services (Photo: D.T)

People benefit from policy changes

Health insurance plays a very important role in reducing the burden of medical costs for people, but the current system still has some significant shortcomings. Hospital referrals and complicated administrative procedures are two major problems that people face. In the context of increasing demand for medical examination and treatment, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, health insurance reform measures have become more urgent.

Therefore, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance, approved by the National Assembly based on the proposal of the Ministry of Health, has helped increase the benefits for health insurance participants. Specifically, it is the regulation on connecting medical examination and treatment under health insurance. This can be considered a revolution in the management and organization of medical examination and treatment. Accordingly, instead of having to transfer to many levels of hospitals, patients will be guaranteed the right to medical examination and treatment at the nearest facility, reducing cumbersome administrative procedures, reducing time and travel costs.

The Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance stipulates increasing the rate of expenditure for medical examination and treatment activities to 92%, while reducing the rate of expenditure for reserve funds and other activities to 8%.

However, this is also a big challenge for lower-level medical facilities. To meet the requirements for service quality, lower-level hospitals need to invest more in facilities and human resource training. Improving the quality of services at lower-level hospitals not only helps reduce the burden on upper-level hospitals, but also creates fairness in accessing quality medical services between regions. Along with that, supporting patients with serious illnesses to be transferred directly to central-level hospitals is also an important reform.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Trang, Director of the Department of Health Insurance (Ministry of Health), compared to the current law, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance introduces 8 basic and notable new points to overcome the problems that have existed over 15 years of implementation.

The new law stipulates an increase in the proportion of expenditure on medical examination and treatment activities to 92%, while reducing the proportion of expenditure on reserve funds and other activities to 8%. This helps optimize the use of health insurance funds, ensuring resources are allocated reasonably and effectively. The application of information technology and digital transformation in health insurance will create transparency and ease of management and supervision.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry is also witnessing a strong reform. The Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Pharmacy Law has introduced measures to promote the development of this industry. The promulgation of the Law creates a legal corridor for the pharmacy chain model and pharmaceutical business via e-commerce, helping businesses easily manage and supply drugs to medical facilities.

Another bright spot in the reform of the Pharmacy Law is the simplification of administrative procedures in granting drug circulation licenses, helping to reduce duplication and redundancy, creating favorable conditions for domestic drug manufacturing enterprises.

Preventing new health threats

One of the strong and necessary decisions of the Ministry of Health in recent times is the proposal to ban e-cigarettes. This not only helps protect the younger generation, but also reduces the burden on the health system when having to treat tobacco-related diseases. This is also a measure to create a healthy living environment for the community.

In addition, the policy of promoting the application of information technology in the health sector, especially online medical examination and treatment services and electronic health record management, has brought about major changes in the way people take care of their health. Online medical applications not only help reduce time and costs for patients, but also create a form of quick and convenient access to medical services.

However, the development of technology also poses a significant challenge in terms of equity in access. Not everyone has the conditions to use technology, especially people living in rural or mountainous areas, or the elderly, who are not familiar with electronic devices.

Overall, the policies of the Ministry of Health have had positive impacts on people’s rights. However, to achieve maximum effectiveness, some adjustments and improvements are needed in implementation. First of all, there should be effective solutions to expand health insurance to all people. In addition, the quality of health services, especially in public health facilities, needs to be improved to ensure that health insurance not only reduces costs, but also comes with better services.

Regarding tobacco and pharmaceutical control, the Ministry of Health needs to step up propaganda and education of the community about new tobacco products and their health risks. At the same time, strengthen inspection and monitoring measures.

In addition, the Ministry of Health needs to focus on improving access to online health services for all subjects, especially those in remote areas and the elderly. Along with that, health policies need to be adjusted to be more synchronous and practical, ensuring that all people can access and benefit from modern health services, without facing financial or technological barriers.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/thay-doi-chinh-sach-vi-mot-he-thong-y-te-cong-bang-hon-d238492.html