Vietnam Ministry Plans to Raise Hospital Fees by 7-10 Times

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health plans to increase hospital fees by 7-10 times over the current ones, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen said, citing the ministry’s draft decree on hospital fees. Under the draft, the fees for medical checkups will rise to VND30,000 from current VND3,000 and patients will have to pay VND100,000-VND120,000 per day for sickbeds instead of the current VND18,000.
The regulations on hospital fees, issued since 1995, have been unsuitable with the current situation, making it difficult for hospitals to operate, the state-run Vietnam News Agency quoted Xuyen as saying July 13. The hospital fee hike is essential as the charges have remained stable for many years, while the prices of medicines and medical equipment have surged, Director of Ho Chi Minh City-based Children’s Hospital No. 2 Ha Manh Tuan said. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, deputy director of HCM City’s health department said the ministry should have a flexible policy to support the poor in case of hospital fee hikes. The increases would not hurt patients because nearly 62% of Vietnam’s total populations of 86.5 million people have been covered by health insurance, Xuyen noted. The Vietnam Social Insurance spent VND3.9 trillion ($203.23 million) to pay hospital costs for more than 23 million patients in the first quarter of this year, up 36% from the same period of 2009. Vietnam targets to collect VND20 trillion from health insurance premiums this year, up 50% from a year earlier, and to provide health insurance services for all locals by 2014.