Prices of medical service to increase 5-8% next July

ABO/NDO – The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced an increase in the prices for several medical services set to take effect from July 1, with the average increase ranging from 5-8% of the current cost.

Ministry of Health will roll out price increases to several medical services from July 1. (Photo: VNA)

The change is in line with the revised Joint Circular No. 37 that regulates the cost of medical examinations and treatments under health insurance policies. The revised document will be finalised by next month to harmonise the prices of medical examinations and treatment services to suit the reality of the situation, said the MOH.

The MOH, the Ministry of Finance, and Vietnam Social Insurance are examining the actual capacity of medical examinations and the capacity of several screening and diagnostic services to calculate and adjust their prices in a reasonable manner. In particular, it will study the experiences of selected foreign countries when deciding how best to adjust the current number of services and set new prices for around 2,000-3,000 services.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that under a new roadmap, from July 1, her ministry will adjust the prices of several medical services. In 2018, it will develop and issue new medical examination and treatment fees for all services which will cover both the direct expenses and management costs.

It is expected that the price of new health services will see an increase of about 5-8%. With this increase, the expenditure that the health insurance fund must cover would also increase by about VND3-4 trillion per year. As the VND35 trillion balance from health insurance fund in 2018 is transferred to 2019, the fund still has the capacity to cover medical costs up to 2020.

The promulgation of revised Circular 37 on the prices of medical service is an important mark of progress on the roadmap for the correctness and affordability of health services, helping to increase the proportion of people participating in health insurance and reduce the central budget allocated to hospitals.

Previously, although the circular was issued in 2015, most of the direct costs stipulated under it were established in 2011. Since then, the prices of inputs such as electricity, water, and medical waste treatment have increased, so a corresponding increase in the price of medical services is a necessity.

(Source: NDO)