Prices for medical services in Hanoi have just increased covering 2,000 medical services since May 1.
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The fee hike, which was announced by the local Health Department to only affect patients who are not covered by health insurance, saw some health services increase by as much as VND200,000 (USD8.70).
Currently, public hospitals are applying dual pricing for medical examination and treatments, prices applied for those covered by health insurance and those who are not. The current healthcare prices are calculated on the basis of the basic salary of VND1.15 million (USD49.45).
The increase in medical services prices was based on the recent rise in basic salary to VND1.39 million (USD60).
Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien said that when people’s salary changes, the adjustment for prices of healthcare services was necessary.
He stressed that the increase in prices of healthcare services is to create equality between insurance-covered people and uninsured people.
Hanoi currently has 86.7% of the population participating in health insurance, only 13.3% of the population is not covered with health insurance and are eligible to participate in voluntary health insurance.
The changes in health service prices would not affect people who are now offered free insurance, Hien noted.
