Regulations on prices of healthcare services in Vietnam

Regulations on prices of healthcare services in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 110 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023, regulations on prices of healthcare services in Vietnam are as follows:

(1) Prices of healthcare services shall be composed of the following factors:

- Total prices of healthcare services specified in clause (2);

- Accumulated rates or proposed profits (if any);

- Financial obligations prescribed by laws.

(2) Total price of a healthcare service shall be constituted by the following costs and expenses:

- Personnel costs, including salaries and wages paid according to the corresponding type of service provided, salary-based contributions and allowances as defined in regulations;

- Direct expenses, including costs of drugs, chemicals, blood, blood products, and costs of raw materials, supplies, tools, instruments, fuels, energy used in medical examination and treatment activities, and other direct expenses;

- Depreciation costs of medical equipment and fixed assets;

- General and administrative expenses, including costs of repair, servicing and maintenance of medical equipment, fixed assets; costs of environmental protection, infection control; training, scientific research, information technology costs; costs of purchase of professional liability insurance; costs of quality management; loan interest (if any); and other expenses related to medical examination and treatment activities.

Regulations on prices of healthcare services in Vietnam (Internet image)

(3) Prices of healthcare services shall be determined according to types of healthcare services provided, and the following principles:

- Offsetting medical examination and treatment expenses in accordance with:

= Supply and demand relationship of medical examination and treatment services; patients’ affordability;

= Guidelines, policies and laws on autonomy applicable to public service units over time; the State’s guidelines and policies for socio-economic development over time according to the roadmap for correct and sufficient calculation of prices of medical examination and treatment services adopted by the Government.

- Harmonizing the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of medical establishments and patients;

- Reviewing the price-formation factors to adjust the prices of medical examination and treatment services where necessary. Prices of medical examination and treatment services shall be adjusted to the pricing basis specified in clause (4).

(4) Pricing of healthcare services shall be based on:

- Healthcare price formation factors specified in clause 1 of this Article at the pricing time;

- Supply and demand relationship of medical examination and treatment services; patients’ affordability;

- Guidelines, policies and laws on autonomy applicable to public service units over time; the State’s guidelines and policies for socio-economic development over time according to the roadmap for correct and sufficient calculation of prices of medical examination and treatment services adopted by the Government.

(5) The Minister of Health shall have the following duties:

- Preside over and cooperate with the Minister of Finance in imposing regulations regarding methods of pricing of medical examination and treatment services;

- Set specific prices of healthcare services on the list of healthcare services covered by the health insurance fund; specific prices of healthcare services funded by the state budget; specific prices of healthcare services not on the list of healthcare services covered by the health insurance fund, but other than on-demand healthcare services for use at medical establishments under the Ministry of Health and other Ministries.

(6) Provincial People's Councils shall set specific prices of healthcare services for use at public medical establishments within the areas under their respective delegated authority on condition that these prices do not exceed the corresponding prices of healthcare services regulated by the Minister of Health.

(7) Public medical establishments shall apply specific prices of healthcare services to patients without health insurance cards who use healthcare services on the list of healthcare services covered by the health insurance fund if the healthcare services that they use are not on-demand healthcare services; shall decide on the prices of on-demand healthcare services, and shall be required to register and publicly announce the prices of on-demand healthcare services.

(8) Private medical establishments shall be entitled to decide for themselves and must register and publicly announces the prices of their healthcare services.

(9) Medical establishments established in the public-private partnership mode shall decide prices of their healthcare services in accordance with laws on investment in the public-private partnership mode.

Mai Thanh Loi

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