ĐỒNG THÁP — Cao Lãnh District is the first locality in Đồng Tháp Province to pilot a new "portable" health insurance policy, which has had positive results after five months of implementation.

By the end of August, nearly 81 per cent of the district’s total population was covered by health insurance.

The social insurance agency in the district set up portable communication sites for consultation and issuing of health insurance cards for people living in hamlets and villages.

Most consultation sites received a positive response from locals, with a large number of people coming to hear social insurance’s officials speak about the significant benefits of health insurance, as well as procedures and payment methods by insurance services.

Dương Kim Loan, a resident in District’s Nhị Mỹ Commune, said she did not know much about health insurance payments, or treatment and referral services, but now has a better understanding of health insurance policy and benefits.

Under the programme, problems are resolved and new cards are issued more quickly than before.

Lê Trọng Nhân from Gáo Giồng Commune, for example, said he had bought a health insurance card with the wrong name in July.

Instead of taking nearly a month to correct the problem at health insurance agencies, he only needed to bring the card to the communication sites where the problem was resolved in a short time.

“I was very satisfied with this approach,” he said.

As a result, the social insurance agency in the district has renewed about 100 health insurance cards and issued more than 30 new cards.

Đoàn Văn Đông, director of social insurance in Cao Lãnh District, said that more communication activities would take place in Gáo Giồng, Nhị Mỹ and Phong Mỹ communes, which have a low rate of insurance coverage.

By the end of June, nearly 1.3 million people in the province had received health insurance cards, an increase of more than 91,000 participants compared to the same period last year.

Nguyễn Thị Kim Thu, deputy director of the province’s social insurance agency, said rural residents have less access to health insurance agents at communes’ people’s committees and post offices.

She said the portable communication model in the district would be expanded to other districts in the province. — VNS