Public hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City will increase fees for non-insured patients by 30% on average starting on August 1, state media reported, citing the municipal Department of Health. The hike is mostly for medical checkups and beds, according to Dinh Thi Lieu, Head of Finance and Accounting Division at the Health Department. The fees for medical examinations will be raised to VND29,000 ($1.27)-VND39,000 per patient from VND7,000-VND20,000/patient, depending on the kind of public hospitals. Ms. Lieu added that the increased fees will mostly affect patients without health insurance cards, which account for 20% of HCM City’s population. The additional fees will help cover regular expenditures for public hospital and salaries for health officials as well as speed up the insurance coverage for all citizens. The city budget from October 1 will no longer provide funds to all public hospitals, except for Nhan Ai Hospital which offers treatment for people in the final stage of AIDS, Ben San Hospital which treats patients with leprosy, the Psychology Hospital and the Pediatrics Hospital. (Saigontimes July 9)
