Affiliation:
1. Petersburg State University
Abstract
Aim. The presented study aims to analyze and identify the “bottlenecks” Vietnam may face on the way to achieving the goal of universal health coverage of the country’s population.Tasks. The authors analyze the situation regarding the implementation of sustainable development goals in terms of ensuring the availability of health services; assess the situation regarding the availability of health services in Vietnam; assess the potential of health insurance to achieve universal health coverage as a goal of Vietnam’s socio-economic development.Methods. This study uses statistical, empirical, and comparative analysis.Results. Achieving the goal of universal health coverage in the country requires more than just financing health care. It reflects the importance of ensuring equal access to quality health services and enforcing the right to health, especially for vulnerable groups. The authors analyze population coverage, the organization of the financing system, and the cost of medical care for households. Funding for health programs in Vietnam is increasing. However, due to the enduring poverty in the country, households spending a large share of their own funds on health services, and the number of challenges associated with the COVID-19 new coronavirus pandemic, there is still a risk of not achieving the goal of universal coverage in the near term.Conclusions. To achieve the set goal, Vietnam needs to introduce effective mechanisms of compulsory and voluntary health insurance (VHI). This additional financial protection is seen as a way to enable more people to use the necessary services without the risk of catastrophic health care costs, thus effectively approaching the goal of universal health coverage for the citizens of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV).
Publisher
Saint-Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics - UMTE
Reference16 articles.
1. Peters D.H., Garg A., Bloom G., Walker D.G., Brieger W.R., Rahman M.H. Poverty and access to health care in developing countries. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2008;1136(1):161-171. DOI: 10.1196/annals.1425.011
2. Bebbington J., Unerman J. Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: An enabling role for accounting research. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal. 2018;31(1):2-24. DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-05-2017-2929
3. Haile F., Niño-Zarazúa M. Does social spending improve welfare in low-income and middleincome countries? Journal of International Development. 2018;30(3):367-398. DOI: 10.1002/jid.3326
4. Tran T., Tang S., Mao W. Getting to universal health coverage in China and Vietnam. Brookings. Feb. 03, 2021. URL: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2021/02/03/getting-to-universal-health-coverage-in-china-and-vietnam/ (accessed on 20.03.2021).
5. Thuong N., Huy T.Q., Tai D.A., Kien T.N. Impact of health insurance on health care utilisation and out-of-pocket health expenditure in Vietnam. BioMed Research International. 2020:9065287. DOI: 10.1155/2020/9065287