Vietnam Deputy PM Urges Mandatory Health Insurance for Tuberculosis Patients
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has requested the Ministry of Health to collaborate with Vietnam Social Security and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to ensure that all tuberculosis (TB) patients receive health insurance coverage in Vietnam, local media reported.
Speaking at a national committee meeting on TB eradication in Hanoi on April 8, Deputy PM Ha urged these agencies to explore financing plans for diagnostic testing expenses for TB detection and to conduct centralized procurement to guarantee sufficient drugs, medical equipment, and supplies for this purpose.
Emphasizing the health ministry’s responsibility to issue regulations and professional guidelines for TB prevention, detection, and treatment at all levels, Mr. Ha ordered the ministry to prepare personnel and medical resources for a nationwide TB investigation in 2025, enhance international cooperation and technology transfer for efficient and widespread TB testing, study the integration of traditional medicine in TB treatment, and develop applications for TB patients.
He also asked media outlets to intensify dissemination efforts to raise public awareness about TB, while calling on associations representing the elderly, women, youth, and farmers to spearhead local TB prevention and control initiatives.
The World Health Organization estimated that Vietnam had 172,000 new TB cases, with approximately 13,000 deaths attributed to the disease, in 2022.
Vietnam has been ranked 11th among 30 countries most burdened by TB and had the highest rate of drug-resistant TB globally. About 60% of the estimated number of TB patients are detected, treated, and reported in the country each year.