Resolutely handle violations in the use of resources to fight the Covid-19 epidemic

On the afternoon of June 24, with 475/480 delegates in favor (accounting for 96.15% of the delegates participating), the National Assembly passed a resolution on thematic supervision of the mobilization, management and use of resources for the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic; the implementation of policies and laws on grassroots health care and preventive medicine.

Presenting the Resolution, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Anh - Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Social Committee stated that by the end of 2022, the whole country had mobilized about 230,000 billion VND directly to serve the work of epidemic prevention and control and implementation of social security policies, including the State budget of 186,400 billion VND and aid and sponsorship of about 43,600 billion VND.

Of which, over 11,600 billion VND has been mobilized into the Covid-19 Vaccine Fund to purchase and import vaccines, support research and production of Covid-19 vaccines; purchase and receive 259.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, of which nearly 160 million doses are aid and sponsorship, and nearly 150 million doses are aid from foreign governments, worth about 24,000 billion VND.

Exempted, reduced, and extended taxes, fees, charges, and land rents for businesses and business households by about VND451,000 billion; reduced and lowered lending interest rates for customers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by about VND50,000 billion; exempted and reduced bank payment service fees by about VND13,000 billion; supported over VND47,200 billion from the Social Insurance Fund and Unemployment Insurance Fund for employees and employers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Policy - Resolutely handle violations in the use of resources to fight the Covid-19 epidemic — Ms. Nguyen Thuy Anh - Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Social Committee (Photo: Quochoi.vn).

However, the issuance of documents to specify a number of special, exceptional and specific measures stipulated in Resolution No. 30/2021/QH15 is sometimes not timely, not complete and not consistent, leading to passivity, confusion and lack of synchronization in implementation.

The management, use, payment and settlement of epidemic prevention and control funds from the State budget during and after the peak period of epidemic prevention and control are still delayed, and arising difficulties and problems have not been promptly and thoroughly resolved.

There have been serious violations in research, acceptance, transfer, circulation licensing, price negotiation, production organization, purchase and sale of Covid-19 test kits related to Viet A Technology Joint Stock Company and in organizing flights to bring Vietnamese citizens from abroad back to the country for quarantine at civil facilities, voluntarily paying fees during the Covid-19 pandemic; many central and local officials and related individuals have been disciplined and criminally prosecuted.

In the Resolution, the National Assembly requested the Government and the Prime Minister to direct ministries, branches and localities to focus on implementing one task and solution, such as urgently researching and submitting to the National Assembly to amend, supplement or promulgate the Law on Health Insurance, the Law on Pharmacy, the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, the Law on Medical Equipment, the Law on Food Safety and laws related to primary health care, preventive medicine and emergency situations.

Develop and complete projects to carry out assigned tasks in Party documents related to the fields of primary health care and preventive medicine.

Abolish, amend, supplement or issue new legal documents on primary health care and preventive medicine under authority; detailed regulations and implementation instructions on the procurement of drugs, equipment, medical supplies and chemicals to ensure consistency with the Law on Bidding and the Law on Prices.

Policy - Resolutely handle violations in the use of resources to fight the Covid-19 epidemic (Figure 2). — The National Assembly passed a resolution on thematic supervision of the mobilization, management and use of resources for the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic... (Photo: Quochoi.vn).

The next assigned task is to urgently review, synthesize, classify and issue guiding documents according to authority to thoroughly handle backlogs and problems in management, use, and settlement of resources serving the work of preventing and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.

Focusing on handling payment and settlement of costs for SARS-CoV-2 testing services based on actual volume incurred for testing services under the ordering mechanism but without an order price or order contract.

Purchasing drugs, chemicals, biological products, equipment, medical supplies and other goods in quantities higher than actual needs to prepare for the case of complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic;

The use of drugs, chemicals, biological products, equipment, and medical supplies purchased from the State budget for Covid-19 medical examination and treatment without the patient having to pay for them will be converted to regular medical examination and treatment paid for by the patient or the health insurance fund according to current regulations;

Difficulties in payment and settlement of the purchase of drugs, chemicals, biological products, equipment and medical supplies for the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, which have been implemented in the forms of advances, loans, borrowing, mobilization and receipt of sponsorship and aid from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022.

The National Assembly also requested to increase the health insurance premium according to a roadmap suitable to the State budget's balance and people's ability to pay; study and expand the list of medical examination and treatment services, the list of drugs, medical equipment, and medical supplies at grassroots health facilities paid by the health insurance fund corresponding to the increase in health insurance premiums.

Thoroughly resolve problems in payment and settlement of medical examination and treatment costs under health insurance.

Urgently and thoroughly handle cases in the management and use of resources for Covid-19 prevention and control, especially violations and cases related to Viet A Technology Joint Stock Company according to the policy of competent authorities on classifying and handling violating organizations and individuals .

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