The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ held a motorbike parade to raise public awareness of the need for social and health insurance last month. – VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

HCM CITY – Authorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are seeking to increase the number of people covered by the Government’s health insurance.

The delta, comprising 12 provinces and Cần Thơ, has boosted advocacy to encourage people to participate in health insurance.

Tiêu Minh Dưỡng, deputy director of the Cần Thơ Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said his agency had sought to enhance public awareness of the need for and benefits of social and health insurance.

Last month the city launched an event to advocate voluntary participation in social and health insurance, including a motorbike parade.

The city had 1.07 million people with health insurance as of the end of April, or 90 per cent of its population, and aims to get another 11,234 sign up this year.

In Long An Province, authorities have regularly undertaken advocacy activities to make people understand the benefits and responsibilities related to health insurance.

The province is improving healthcare services, especially for insured people, and has 186 clinics and hospitals that provide them with healthcare.

Its number of examinations under insurance cover increased from 2.2 million in 2009 to 2.4 million last year.

The province’s 93.2 per cent of its population, or more than 1.6 million people, are insured.

Nguyễn Thanh Hải, deputy standing secretary of the Long An Party Committee, said the quality of treatment for insured people at clinics and hospitals, especially at the grassroots levels, should be enhanced.

Support

The Delta region has a number of policies to help people access health insurance and financial support for people, especially the poor, to buy it.

Trà Vinh Province has adopted resolutions to provide free health insurance to near-poor people, farmers with average incomes, students, and other needy people.

It has improved the quality of healthcare for insured people, and this has helped reduce the number of patients that require to be transferred from local facilities to higher-level ones for treatment.

It aims to have 100 per cent of its population covered by health insurance by 2030 compared to 95.8 per cent now.

Lâm Minh Đằng, deputy secretary of the Trà Vinh Party Committee, has urged commune party and people’s committees to work with district-level social insurance agencies to expand the number of people covered by health insurance.

The province's Department of Education and Training should step up advocacy and encourage students to acquire health insurance, he said.

An Giang Province subsidised health insurance costs by 30 per cent for near-poor people and 70 per cent for ethnic students in 2020-22.

All students now have health insurance.

The rate of insured people in the province increased from just 43 per cent in 2009 to 92 per cent last year.

Lê Văn Nưng, deputy secretary of the province's Party Committee, has instructed localities to financially help people buy health insurance.

Localities should implement health insurance policies well and create favourable conditions for people to access them, he said.

An Giang targets 95 per cent of its population having health insurance by next year. – VNS