Dr Pham Luong Son, Vice General Director of Vietnam Social Security, said the high expenditure on medicine is threatening the tight health insurance budget, but the problem comes from the effective use of medicine in examination and treatment.
“Given the tight budget for health insurance, the improper use of medicine affects the quality of treatment and the efficiency of using the health insurance fund and that should be resolved,” said Son.
In Vietnam, the cost for medicine out of costs for health checkup and treatment remains high compared with that in other countries. It cost over 1.4 billion USD in 2016 and some 1.5 billion USD for 2017.
Experts from France shared their knowledge and experience in the management of the use of antibiotics as part of the effort to improve the proper use of medicine.
“I know in Vietnam, the use of antibiotics is too important. We use antibiotics for everything, even against virus. That is not correct because that is generating multi resistance and a lot of costs, many expenses,” said Dr Eric Baseilhac – Director of International, Economic and Public Affairs Relations, LEEM – an industry association which represents drug companies operating in France.
At the event, delegates discussed the situation of using medicine in Vietnam as well as giving recommendations to improve the quality of health checkup and treatment and ensure the performance of the health insurance fund.
According to experts, there should have synchronous solutions and polices such as setting up a list of qualified medicine paid by health insurance, and encouraging to use domestically manufactured drugs, in order to raise the proper use of medicine.
Source: VNA