Providing treatment to a insurance-covered patient at a health care facility in Son La (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy organisation based inWashington DC, has run an article highlighting Vietnam’s impressive progress inuniversal health coverage (UHC) over the past decade.
The article cited a recent research as saying that Vietnamprovided a generousbenefit package that is more equitable for all.
It held that the takeaway lessons for other developingcountries that want to achieve UHC through health insurance include strongpolitical commitment with financial resources and an incremental approach thatis attuned to their population. When designing health insurance systems,keeping tabs on all three UHC dimensions, ensuring consistent service coveragefor essential health services, and government subsidies for vulnerablepopulations are needed.
Vietnam established health insurance for employees in the1990s, but it wasn’t until 2003 that the government began taking more financialresponsibility for the poor. That was when it increased coverage, though incrementally,it noted.
It said that Vietnam made impressive increases in populationcoverage over the span of 13 years through the critical policies/laws/decreesthey enacted.
Vietnam’s pro-poor design focused on stabilising the mostvulnerable populations, so those uninsured are assumed to have some form offinancial capacity.
However, it noted that Vietnam still faces great challenges,including aging population and shifting disease burdens are putting a lot ofpressure on the financial sustainability of their health insurance systems.
Cross subsidization, provider payment reform, andcost-effective benefit packages have to be carefully designed and implementedto improve the efficiency, equity, and affordability of health insurancesystems. Though the future is uncertain, Vietnam’s prospects look promising asthey continue to customize their designs to their realities, it added./.
