Prominent Policies in the Fields of Insurance and Healthcare Effective from November 2016

1. Responsibility for Payment of Costs by the Surrogate Requesting Party

This content is mentioned in Circular 32/2016/TT-BYT, which regulates the payment of actual costs to ensure reproductive health care for the surrogate mother for humanitarian purposes.

The responsibility of the surrogate requesting party to pay will arise in the following cases:

- The stage of preparing for pregnancy;- The process of applying embryo transfer techniques for the surrogate mother for humanitarian purposes;- Techniques for examination, screening, treatment, and handling of abnormalities or defects of the fetus (if any) and monitoring, caring for the fetus;- The process of childbirth and care within 42 days postpartum for the surrogate mother or until the time of handing over the child to the surrogate requesting party;- General health check-up for the surrogate mother after childbirth;- Examination, treatment, and health care in case the surrogate mother has postpartum complications related to reproductive health.

See details of the actual costs covered at Circular 32/2016/TT-BYT, effective from November 1, 2016.

1. Organizational Structure of the Microbiology Department in the Hospital

According to Circular 33/2016/TT-BYT (effective from November 3, 2016) regulating the organization and activities of microbiological testing in hospitals, depending on specific conditions, the hospital establishes the Microbiology Department or the Microbiology Unit of the Testing Department, Biochemistry-Microbiology Department, Hematology-Microbiology Department, or Microbiology-Immunology Department.

Additionally, the structure and organization of the Microbiology Department must ensure the presence of the following main units:

- Unit for manufacturing, preserving, and providing environments, biological products, and chemicals for testing;- Unit for handling biological specimens, preserving biological products, chemicals, and cleaning, disinfecting;- Unit for bacterial testing (receiving specimens, staining, culturing, identifying, antibiotic testing, immunology, molecular biology, preserving bacterial strains or specimens);- Unit for viral testing (receiving specimens, immunology, molecular biology, preserving strains or specimens);- Unit for parasitology testing (receiving specimens, staining, immunology, molecular biology, preserving strains or specimens).

1. Regulations on Termination of Pregnancy Due to Fetal Defects

From November 10, 2016, screening to detect, diagnose, treat, and handle fetal defects are implemented following the regulations at Circular 34/2016/TT-BYT.

Termination of pregnancy due to fetal defects is considered when:

- There are serious abnormalities in the morphology, structure of the fetus, high risk of disability; chromosomal abnormalities; the fetus has a genetic molecular disease due to gene mutation for which there is no specific treatment;- There is written consent from the pregnant woman after being fully advised by medical staff.

Decisions to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal defects are made based on conclusions after consultation.

Facilities for medical examination and treatment with an operating license and a professional activity scope authorized to perform termination of pregnancy techniques must organize consultations among relevant specialties to consider the termination of pregnancy.

1. Expenditure for Examination and Treatment of Patients with Leprosy and Mental Disorders

The expenses for medical examination and treatment (KCB), care, and necessary costs for performing the KCB tasks for patients with leprosy and mental disorders are guided in the attached Appendices of Circular 36/2016/TT-BYT:

- Appendix I: List of 48 disease names and the budget allocated by the State for the tasks of KCB and care for patients with leprosy;- Appendix II: List of 82 disease names and the budget allocated by the State for the tasks of KCB and care for patients with mental disorders.

More details can be found in Circular 36/2016/TT-BYT, effective from November 15, 2016.

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