Vĩnh Long to increase insurance coverage to 81 per cent of population by year-end

VĨNH LONG — The Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long’s steering committee for social, health and unemployment insurance on Tuesday instructed local authorities to promote the benefits of health insurance and reach at least 81 per cent coverage by year-end.

The committee said that authorities should hold dialogues with employers and employees, as well as with residents, to solve problems related to buying health insurance.

Lữ Quang Ngời, vice chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, said the province would carry out measures to increase the rate of insurance coverage among enterprises and households in wards and communes.

To instill trust in the public, the province’s health sector continues improving quality of health examination and treatment for insured patients. Hospital staff have also been required to improve their service attitude.

Inspection will be enhanced to detect abuses of the fund, and solutions will be carried out promptly.

In the first six months of the year, the province had more than 828,200 people to buy health insurance, an increase of more than 66,300 compared to the same period last year.

The first six month’s health insurance coverage reached 78.8 per cent of the province’s total population.

The province has 129 health facilities including 125 public centres that provide healthcare services to insured patients.

The number of students with health insurance, however, has increased slowly. Many households in the province’s rural areas have financial difficulties and find it difficult to purchase insurance.

Moreover, slow procedures for insured patients at several health facilities cause long waits. — VNS