As many as 60% of people with mild illnesses refuse medical services from district hospitals and prefer to go to larger hospitals, causing overcrowding, said the Minister of Health.
Many hospitals overcrowded
Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Minister of Health, gave her explanation at a recent meeting with National Assembly deputies, which was held to address the causes of hospital overcrowding and the management of the medical insurance fund.According to Tien, medical administrators have been struggling to deal with the issue, but the number of people who seek treatment at the district level has continued to fall.
"Patients seeking out larger hospitals for minor illnesses has become a burden to our medical system. The problem has become so bad that the HCM City Oncology Hospital now looks like a refugee camp," Tien commented.
She added that there will be continued attempts to encourage patients to seek out treatment at district hospitals whenever possible and that an information programme directing people on how and where to receive primary care was lacking.
Insurance has also led to a disparity in the allocation of funds. Many patients who have bought insurance said that they would not settle for long administrative procedures.
The ministry has requested that any hospital failing to upgrade their equipment to standard not be allowed to provide treatment for patients under medical insurance.
The minister said that while drafting the Medical Insurance Law, the ministry proposed not to provide health insurance payments to those who skip the step of medical care at the district level, but that the NA turned this proposal down.
The ministry will issue a circular on hospital transfers in June, she added.
