Below, the Secretary of Law would like to introduce 11 prominent new policies in the field of health that will come into effect from December 2016. To be specific:
Article table of contents
- List and Insurance Payment Rate for Medical Technical Services
According to Circular 35/2016/TT-BYT (effective from December 1, 2016), the list of medical technical services covered for participants of health insurance includes medical examination, treatment, rehabilitation, periodic prenatal check-ups, and delivery services authorized for implementation in Vietnam, specifically:
- The list of professional technical services in medical examination and treatment issued together with Circular 43/2013/TT-BYT;- The list of classification of surgeries and procedures issued together with Circular 50/2014/TT-BYT;- Medical technical services approved by the Minister of Health for implementation at medical examination and treatment facilities not yet included in Circular 43/2013/TT-BYT or Circular 50/2014/TT-BYT.
Refer to the list of certain medical technical services with specific conditions, payment rates, or price levels issued together with Circular 35/2016/TT-BYT.
- Permissible Noise Limits at the Workplace
This content is addressed in Circular 24/2016/TT-BYT (effective from December 1, 2016), which regulates the National Technical Standards on noise – Permissible noise exposure levels at the workplace.
The permissible noise exposure levels at the workplace are regulated as follows:
- Permissible sound pressure level limits according to exposure time:- Within 1 minute: not to exceed 112 dBA.- Within 1 hour: not to exceed 94 dBA.- Within 8 hours: not to exceed 85 dBA.- Permissible sound pressure level limits at specific work locations:- At direct work, labor, production sites: not to exceed 85 dBA.- Administrative, accounting, planning offices: not to exceed 65 dBA.- Intellectual labor, research design rooms, statistics, computer programming, theoretical laboratories: not to exceed 55 dBA.
- Guidance on Health Insurance Payment for Officers and Soldiers of the People’s Police
According to Circular 43/2016/TT-BCA, officers and soldiers, when receiving medical examination and treatment (KCB) under health insurance in compliance with Articles 26, 27, and 28 of the 2014 Amended and Supplemented Law on Health Insurance and Article 15 of Decree 70/2015/ND-CP, will have the following costs paid by the Health Insurance Fund:
- Costs for KCB recovery functions, periodical prenatal check-ups, and delivery; these costs do not apply limits on payment rates for certain drugs, chemicals, medical supplies, and technical services as stipulated by the Minister of Health.- Transport costs regulated in Clause 5, Article 11 of Decree 70/2015/ND-CP.- KCB costs outside the scope of health insurance coverage include: drugs, chemicals, medical supplies authorized for circulation in Vietnam, and technical medical services approved by the competent authority according to professional indications.
Circular 43/2016/TT-BCA takes effect from December 9, 2016; the health insurance policies for officers and soldiers apply from January 1, 2016.
Additionally, 08 National Technical Standards related to workplaces are effective from December 1, 2016. Specifically:
- National Technical Standards on high frequency electromagnetic fields - permissible high frequency electromagnetic field exposure levels at the workplace issued together with Circular 21/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on lighting - permissible lighting levels at the workplace issued together with Circular 22/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on ultraviolet radiation - permissible ultraviolet radiation exposure levels at the workplace issued together with Circular 23/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on industrial frequency electromagnetic fields - permissible industrial frequency electromagnetic field exposure levels at the workplace issued together with Circular 25/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on microclimates - permissible microclimate values at the workplace issued together with Circular 26/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on vibration - permissible values at the workplace issued together with Circular 27/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on ionizing radiation - exposure dose limits for ionizing radiation at the workplace issued together with Circular 29/2016/TT-BYT
- National Technical Standards on X-ray radiation - exposure dose limits for X-ray radiation at the workplace issued together with Circular 30/2016/TT-BYT
