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2 million kids under 6 deprived of health insurance cards
  • | dtinews.vn | June 24, 2011 11:33 AM

Out of 10 million, nearly 2 million children under six in Vietnam have not been provided with health insurance cards.

Out of 10 million, nearly 2 million children under six in Vietnam have not been provided with health insurance cards

Tong Thi Song Huong, Head of the Ministry of Health’s Health Insurance Department, said, without health insurance cards, many parents have to use their children’s birth certificates for medical-check ups, despite rules to the contrary in the Law on Health Insurance that took effect two years.

The reason for this situation is partially parents’ neglecting to register their children for insurance, Huong said, adding that, it is also due to poor cooperation between the health agencies responsible for registering children.

The use of birth certificates often causes difficulties for hospitals with health insurance fund management.

Currently, only 692,000 out of six million underprivileged people have health insurance cards because many localities failed to make accurate list of this group. Besides, most of them are low-income earners; therefore, they can not afford to pay for health insurance, despite a 50% state-subsidised discount.

According to the Health Insurance Department, about 53 million people nationwide, or just over 60%, have health insurance.

To date, up to 8,204 medical centres are engaged in providing check-ups and treatment for health insurance holders.

However, many people still complain about complicated payment procedures in payment attached to health insurance cards, which further discourages use of the cards.

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