Highlights of the past week's news (from March 25th to March 30th)

1. Ministry of Education and Training officially announces the national high school exam schedule

Recently, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam issued Official Dispatch 1209/BGDDT-QLCL on the guidelines for organizing the national high school exam and recognizing high school graduation in 2019 to Departments of Education and Training, Universities, Colleges, and Intermediate Schools.

The national high school exam will take place from June 24 to June 27, 2019. To be specific::

- June 25: Literature and Mathematics exams.

- June 26: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Foreign Language exams.

- June 27: History, Geography, and Civic Education exams.

The Mathematics, Foreign Language, and combined exams will be conducted in a multiple-choice format, while the Literature exam will be in an essay format.

More guidance details can be found in Official Dispatch 1209/BGDDT-QLCL issued on March 27, 2019.

2. Maximum duration for old housing rental contracts is 5 years

This is one of the notable contents in Decree 30/2019/ND-CP, amending and supplementing several articles of Decree 99/2015/ND-CP guiding the Housing Law issued on March 28, 2019.

Decree 30/2019/ND-CP stipulates that the duration of old housing rental contracts is 5 years from the date of contract signing, except if the tenant requests a shorter term.

When the rental period expires, if the tenant still meets the conditions and wishes to continue renting, the housing rental contract can be extended for a period equal to the previous rental term, except if the house is reclaimed under legal provisions.

For contracts signed before the effective date of Decree 30 that specify a different rental period, the parties do not need to re-sign the contract.

More details can be found in Decree 30/2019/ND-CP of Vietnam's Government effective from May 15, 2019.

3. Vietnam Social Security guides the change of health insurance benefit codes as per Decree 146

Recently, Vietnam Social Security issued Official Dispatch 713/BHXH-CSYT to provincial and municipal social security offices on changing health insurance benefit codes as per Decree 146/2018/ND-CP for participants with CK, CB, KC codes.

The change of health insurance benefit codes for participants who are Resistance War Participants, People with meritorious services to the revolution, and Veterans is as follows:

- For certain Resistance War Participants receiving allowances and awarded medals of merit, falling under the category of People with meritorious services to the revolution, the health insurance benefit level will be according to People with meritorious services to the revolution (benefit code is 2);

- For certain Resistance War Participants receiving allowances and all Resistance War Participants receiving allowances as per Decision 142/2008/QD-TTg, who are Veterans as per Clause 2, Article 2 of Decree 150/2006/ND-CP will be eligible for the health insurance benefit level for Veterans (benefit code is 2).

More details can be found in Official Dispatch 713/BHXH-CSYT issued on March 11, 2019.

4. Official Dispatch 1608: Guiding the payment of health insurance medical examination and treatment costs upon request

On March 27, 2019, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch 1608/BYT-KH-TC to Vietnam Social Security regarding the payment of health insurance medical examination and treatment costs when patients use services upon request.

The Ministry of Health requests Vietnam Social Security to pay the costs of health insurance medical examination and treatment according to the health insurance law when patients use services upon request such as examinations, bed days, technical medical services, medicines, medical supplies, as follows:

- For services prescribed according to professional requirements within the scope of the health insurance participants, the health insurance fund will pay according to the entitlement level of the participants. The difference between the cost of the medical service upon request and the health insurance fund’s payment will be covered by the patient;

- For services not prescribed according to professional requirements or not within the scope of the health insurance participants, the patient will cover all costs for those services.

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