The free health insurance (HI) policy for ethnic minorities in disadvantaged and extremely difficult areas has shared the economic burden, helping people have the opportunity to take care of their health to get well life.

Investing in helping ethnic people to access quality health care A doctor from the Ma Ly Pho commune health station checks the blood pressure of a local woman in the northern Lai Chau province of Phong Tho district.

Tan Sa Dau, a pregnant woman from Ma Ly Pho commune in the northern Phong Tho district of Lai Chau province, feels happy that she no longer has to travel far for regular check-ups. However, this time, she said she would use the commune health station because they are fully equipped with facilities, enthusiastic and attentive nurses. It saves me money and makes me less difficult. Ms. Dau is one of many local people who have benefited from a project aimed at giving people better access to quality healthcare near their home. In the past, when the Dao people got sick, they called local physicians to worship with the belief that they could cure that person, or go to the forest to pick trees to make herbal medicine. Only when the illness is severe do people take them to the hospital. Sometimes it's too late. According to Ms. Duong Ngoc Huong, Director of Phong Tho District Medical Center, in order to gain the trust of people in health care at the facility, Lai Chau province has upgraded commune-level medical stations as well as medical in the area. Health workers were also sent to participate in professional qualification training courses. Investing in quality primary health care has contributed to improving the effectiveness of treatment for ethnic minorities in the area. Sharing his surgery experience, Mr. Nguyen Van Bach, from Tan Uyen district, said that he was on his way home from Mu Cang Chai district (Yen Bai) when he began to suffer severe abdominal pain. He was taken to the Than Uyen District Medical Center for emergency. Doctors quickly examined and diagnosed me with gastric perforation and decided to operate me with modern equipment. Now I have completely recovered. The investment in modern facilities and training of health workers has helped them provide better health services and reduce the number of arrivals, said Nguyen Van Doi, director of the Lai Chau Department of Health. Treatment at higher level facilities. Before that, patients with dangerous diseases that needed high-tech treatment had to be transferred to central health care facilities. Mr. Doi said that in the coming time, the Department will strengthen training to improve the medical staff while continuing to upgrade facilities and equipment, ensuring that people get good medical examination and treatment near their homes.

 The free health insurance (HI) policy for ethnic minorities in disadvantaged and extremely difficult areas has shared the economic burden, helping people have the opportunity to take care of their health to get better living.

With the characteristics of a mountainous and border province with more than 66% of the population being ethnic minorities, the implementation of the health insurance policy in the area is always concerned by all levels and branches in Lao Cai province. By the end of June 2020, the whole province had over 712 thousand people participating in health insurance with a coverage rate of over 97%. In which, ethnic minorities living in areas with difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions were granted health insurance cards of over 288.6 thousand people with a budget of over 114 billion VND, accounting for 40.5. % of people participate in health insurance. The above subjects are supported by the State budget 100% of the premium and are covered by the health insurance fund 100% of the cost of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance according to regulations.

 According to the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, to effectively implement the plan of the Provincial People's Committee on implementing the policy of health insurance card for social policy beneficiaries in the province; Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs agencies, social insurance agencies and the People's Committees of communes, wards and townships closely coordinate in managing subjects, making lists and distributing health insurance cards to people; Financial agencies at all levels shall promptly and fully transfer funding to pay health insurance premiums into the health insurance fund so that they can allocate funds to health facilities to conduct medical examination and treatment under health insurance for ethnic minorities. living in regions with difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions in particular and for social policy beneficiaries in general.

The representative of the Department of Health of the province said: to ensure the most timely and complete primary health care for the people, the medical examination and treatment under health insurance was implemented from the commune level with a total of 152 commune health stations, wards and towns performing medical examination and treatment with initial health insurance; At the same time, the district level creates conditions for people to have medical examination, treatment and health care at the medical facilities closest to their residence and at any district health facility in the province without having to referral procedures. At the same time, the health sector has well organized the medical examination and treatment at all levels to well implement the technical division. The infrastructure system in the localities has been invested and built, the medical staff has increasingly improved their skills, so the quality of medical examination and treatment has been gradually improved, basically meeting the needs of medical examination and treatment. people of all ethnic groups.

Along with increasing investment in grassroots health care in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, in recent years, Lao Cai province has paid attention to directing and allocating funding to buy health insurance cards for free allocation to ethnic minorities. ethnic minority groups to facilitate medical examination. medical examination and treatment at all medical establishments in the area, to have medical insurance payment for drugs and medical supplies according to regulations. In addition, the quality of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance in Lao Cai province has been increasingly improved; administrative procedure reform in medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance has been promoted, contributing to ensuring the benefits of health insurance for ethnic minorities. Only in the first 6 months of 2020, there were more than 216 thousand ethnic minorities giving medical examination by prescription and more than 17.5 thousand times of ethnic minorities providing inpatient treatment.