VSS cooperates with French partner in promoting public health care
The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) and the France-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFV) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strategic cooperation in optimising the medical and pharmaceutical systems to care for people's health.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) and the France-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFV) has signed a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) on strategic cooperation in optimising the medical andpharmaceutical systems to care for people's health.
According to French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet, theFrench Embassy in Vietnam has cooperated with VSS in the fields of healthcare and pharmacy since 2018.
In 2019, the French Pharmaceutical Companies Association(Leem) signed an agreement with VSS in the pharmaceutical area, he noted, affirmingthat the newly-signed MoU is the continuance of the sound cooperation betweenthe two sides.
VSS Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa said thatcurrently, about 18.26 million people have joined social insurance, accountingfor 39.25% of the country’s workforce, along with about 14.7 million people joiningunemployment insurance and over 93.3 million people covered by healthinsurance, or 93.35% of the country’s population.
However, Hoa pointed out a number of difficulties that VSS is facing in ensuringthat people covered by health insurance access medicine, medical equipment andservices with high quality, as well as challenges in managing spending of the healthinsurance fund on drugs, medical supplies, and medical technical services.
He underlined that the MoU is not only a commitment to public health but a sharedeffort of the two sides in providing high-quality medical services for people of the two countries, contributing to promoting Vietnam-France relations.
Under the MoU, the two sides will share information and experience on measuresto increase income sources for the health insurance fund and the implementation ofsupplementary health insurance packages, while supporting each other in enhancingcapacity in medical technology assessment serving the building of a list ofdrugs, medical supplies, and technical services covered by the health insurancefund.
Meanwhile, the two sides will also work together in communications to raiseawareness of the community and medical staff about safe, reasonable and effectiveuse of drugs, ensuring the effective use of the health insurance fund and patients' rights, and optimising resources for the improvement of healthcare services./.
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At the signing ceremony of the MoU (Photo: VSS) 
