Vietnam: Prices and costs of medical treatment services at State-owned hospitals

Regulated entities:

 - State-owned health facilities;

- Uninsured patients (health insurance);

- Patients having health insurance cards but receiving medical examination and treatment or using medical services not covered by health insurance;

- Other relevant organizations and individuals.

For insured patients receiving medical examination and treatment, the prices of medical services covered by health insurance shall be applied as prescribed in Joint Circular No. 37/2015/TTLT-BYT-BTC.

This Circular does not apply to medical services in the following cases:

- A public health service provider contributes and raises capital under joint venture or association agreements as prescribed in Article 6 of Decree No. 85/2012/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government;

- A health facility operates as an enterprise whose capital is borrowed by public service provider to invest and cooperate in investment as prescribed in Resolution No. 93/NQ-CP dated December 15, 2014 of Vietnam’s Government.

- A health facility makes public-private partnership investment as prescribed in Decree No. 15/2015/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government.

The maximum price for medical treatment service includes direct expenses and salaries expenses. To be specific:

- Direct expenses, including:

+ Expenses for medicines, perfusion, chemicals, medical consumables and replacements in service of medical services.

Regarding some medicines, perfusion, chemicals, medical consumables and replacements that are yet to be included in the prices of medical services provided in this Circular and blood and blood components, payment shall be made according to the actual amount used for patients and purchase price in accordance with regulations of law.

+ Expenses for electricity, water, fuel, waste treatment and environmental hygiene.

+ Expenses for maintenance of equipment and purchase of instruments.

- Salaries expenses, including:

+ Salary under grades, ranks, titles, allowances and contributions in accordance with the State regulations applied to public service providers; EXCEPT FOR the expenditures covered by state budget as prescribed in the following documents:

• Decree No. 64/2009/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government on benefits for health officials and public employees working in extremely disadvantaged areas;

• Decree No. 116/2010/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government on benefits for on officials, public employees and paid armed forces’ personnel working in extremely disadvantaged areas;

• Decision  No. 46/2009/QD-TTg dated March 31, 2009 on special allowances for officials and public employees working in Friendship Hospital, Thong Nhat Hospital, Da Nang C Hospital affiliated to the Ministry of Health, Central Health Protection Divisions 1, 2, 2B, 3 and 5, Department A11 of 108 Hospital and Department A11 of Military Institute of Traditional Medicine;

• Decision No. 20/2015/QD-TTg dated June 18, 2015 on amendments to some articles of Decision No. 46/2009/QD-TTg;

• Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government on salaries paid to officials, public employees and armed forces’ personnel;

• Decree No. 76/2009/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government on amendments to some articles of Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP.

+ Standing allowances, surgical and/or medical procedure allowances (hereinafter referred to as “special allowances”) prescribed in Decision No. 73/2011/QD-TTg dated December 28, 2011.

Prices for medical treatment services:

Prices for a hospital bed-day:

- Prices of inpatient services shall be charged on 01 patient/01 bed.

- In case of 02 patients/01 bed or 03 patients or more, only a maximum of 50% or 30% of the prices of the inpatient service decided by the competent authority shall be collected respectively.

* Patient beds at departments of specialist hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City:

- Departments of Infection, Pulmonology, Hematology, Oncology, Cardiology, Psychiatry, Neurology, Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Endocrinology; Allergy: 215,300 dong;

- Departments of Musculoskeletal, Dermatology, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Odontology, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology without surgery, Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation for groups of people suffering spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury: 192,300 dong;

* Patient beds at polyclinics: 108,000 dong;

* Retention beds at commune health stations: 54,000 dong.

View more details at Appendix II attached to Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BYT.

Prices of technical and testing services:

- Prices of technical services shall include expenses for medicines, chemicals, medical consumables and replacements for provision of services except some special cases with specific notes. Hospitals must not charge patients for the expenses that have been included in prices of services.

- Prices of surgeries or medical procedures shall not include expenses for blood or blood components if used.

If used, payment shall be made as prescribed in Circular No. 33/2014/TT-BYT regulating the maximum price and service costs for determining the price of a unit of whole blood and standardized blood products.

View more details at Appendix III attached to Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BYT.

Note: The prices approved by a competent authority before the application of prices prescribed in this Circular shall be applied until the patient is released from that health facility or ends outpatient treatment visit if:

- He/she is receiving medical treatment at a health facility before the application of the prices prescribed in this Circular;

- He/she is released from that health facility or ends an outpatient treatment visit after the application of the prices prescribed in this Circular.

Circular No. 02/2017/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam takes effect from June 01, 2017.

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