Examination and treatment costs at hospitals ranked the same in terms offacility quality and services provided will be standardised, under ajoint circular soon to be released by the Ministry of Health and theMinistry of Finance.

Speaking at an event on January 13 whereattendees could state their opinions on the plan, Deputy Health MinisterPham Le Tuan said costs of medical services differed between hospitalswith the same rankings in the country because localities regulated theirown prices.

Rankings are determined by professional skilllevels, medical facilities and techniques used. The ministry found that,for example, some hospitals ranked Level 1 in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh Cityhad different costs from Level 1 hospitals in Hai Phong, Da Nang andCan Tho, Tuan said.

Tuan said the shortcomings arose when cityand provincial People's Councils individually implemented a law thatregulated medical service costs.

However, a revised healthinsurance law that took effect in the beginning of 2015 should take careof the problems, Tuan said. The revised law says the health minister,with the help of the finance minister, must standardise medical servicecosts paid by health insurance funds.

Health insurance iscompulsory for all, and aims to cover medical services for the entirepopulation. It also means citizens have to buy health insurance cards,which will cover part or all of their medical costs, according to therevised law.

A draft of the joint circular states service costsfor five levels of hospitals: Level 1 through Level 4 and Special Level.Currently, Bach Mai and Viet Duc are Special Level hospitals, and manydistrict hospitals are Level 4.

The joint circular is scheduled to be completed and circulated in the second quarter of the year.-VNA