Urban Development Law: What priority social security policies are citizens entitled to?

Under the Urban Development Law, citizens are entitled to support for medical examination and treatment costs as well as social security policies. Each city will decide the specific level of support, eligible recipients, and types of costs. This demonstrates that the scope of support extends beyond medical treatment to include health care and ensures public welfare for citizens.

Toward a modern health care system and universal social security

A urological surgery procedure is performed at University Medical Shing Mark Hospital.

According to Clause 1, Article 28, the City People's Council stipulates a range of important matters concerning health care and social security policies.

Under Point a, Clause 1, Article 28, the City People's Council stipulates policies on support from the city budget to cover disease prevention costs and medical examination and treatment costs beyond the scope of health insurance coverage, according to an appropriate roadmap.

The regulation places health care within a broader scope, covering both disease prevention and medical examination and treatment costs that fall outside health insurance coverage. However, the support policy is implemented according to an appropriate roadmap, indicating that it must be aligned with actual conditions and capabilities.

Point b, Clause 1, Article 28 stipulates policies for developing an out-of-hospital emergency and medical transport system; prices for out-of-hospital emergency services; and patient co-payment rates for such services as a basis for payment support.

Doctors and medical staff provide consultations and treatment guidance to patients showing signs of illness.

Meanwhile, Point c, Clause 1, Article 28 provides for mechanisms and policies to support the operations of the health care system at all levels within the city and to mobilize, contract, and assign tasks to medical facilities in the city to participate in out-of-hospital emergency services, medical transport, epidemic prevention and control, disaster response, community health care, and other public health duties in the city.

These two provisions place out-of-hospital emergency services and medical transport within the broader operations of the entire health care system. At the same time, the mobilization, commissioning, and assignment of tasks to medical facilities demonstrate the need to utilize and organize medical resources to serve community and public-interest tasks.

Point e, Clause 1, Article 28 of the Urban Development Law provides for mechanisms and policies to develop medical examination and treatment services for foreigners at medical facilities within the city. This provision expands the scope of medical service delivery in line with the need to meet foreigners' medical examination and treatment requirements.

Social security tied to medical resource coordination

Citizens receive free blood tests as part of health screening.

Article 28 also devotes significant content to policies for people with meritorious services, social security, and social welfare.

According to Point d, Clause 1, Article 28, the City People's Council stipulates regimes and preferential policies for people with meritorious services to the revolution in the city.

Along with this, noteworthy provisions cover social mechanisms, social security, and social welfare policies aimed at expanding the scope of beneficiaries and increasing benefit levels to ensure a comprehensive, modern, sustainable, and universal social security system, as well as at developing a system of elderly care facilities and social assistance facilities in the city.

Under this approach, social security policy not only focuses on supporting specific groups but also aims to achieve universal coverage, while increasing benefit levels and building a system of elderly care facilities and social assistance facilities.

Regarding the organization of medical resources, Clause 2, Article 28 authorizes the City People's Committee to coordinate the development fund for professional activities of public hospitals with other public hospitals under the city's management in cases where the fund balance exceeds twice the annual depreciation and amortization of fixed assets and the unit holding the fund has no need to use it to invest in facilities or purchase equipment.

The regulation specifically defines the conditions for implementing fund coordination. Specifically, the fund balance must exceed twice the annual depreciation and amortization of fixed assets, while the unit holding the fund must have no need to use it to invest in facilities or purchase equipment. These conditions must be observed when exercising coordination authority within the city's management.

Elderly residents participate in recreational activities at Dien Hong Nursing Home. Photo: Ha Thu

Clause 3, Article 28 further decentralizes certain authorities to the Chairperson of the City People's Committee based on regulations of the City People's Committee.

Accordingly, under Point a, Clause 3, Article 28, the Chairperson of the City People's Committee has the authority to license the import of drugs that do not have a registration certificate for drug circulation in Vietnam to meet special treatment needs, including drugs used for emergency or anti-poisoning purposes, anti-rejection drugs, and drugs on the list of rare drugs, for supply to medical examination and treatment facilities professionally managed by the city.

Under Point b, Clause 3, Article 28, the Chairperson of the City People's Committee has the authority to allow medical examination and treatment facilities professionally managed by the city to apply special-category techniques.

These authorities are applicable to specific cases, including special treatment needs involving drugs used for emergency or anti-poisoning purposes, anti-rejection drugs, and drugs on the list of rare drugs, as well as the application of special-category techniques at medical examination and treatment facilities under the city's professional management.

Article 28 shows that the Urban Development Law addresses health care and social security by granting greater authority to the city government within the scope of the law, while covering a wide range of areas, from disease prevention, medical examination and treatment, and out-of-hospital emergency services to the coordination of hospital resources and the provision of social security benefits.

Notably, these mechanisms are closely associated with the requirements for community health care and social welfare. By aiming for a comprehensive, modern, sustainable, and universal social security system, along with the development of an out-of-hospital emergency system, elderly care facilities, and social assistance facilities, Article 28 lays the legal foundation for the city to take a more proactive role in organizing policies suited to citizens' needs, based on the specific authorities and conditions stipulated by law.

By Hai Thanh – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha