Focusing care on supporting health insurance for ethnic minority people

On the afternoon of October 9, in Phuoc Son commune, the supervisory delegation of the Ethnic Affairs Committee under the Dong Nai Provincial People's Council, led by Dieu Dieu, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee, held a working session to assess the implementation of Resolution No. 16/2022/NQ-HDND dated November 9, 2022, issued by the Provincial People's Council on supporting the purchase of health insurance (HI) for ethnic minority (EM) communities.

Dieu Dieu, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Dong Nai Provincial People's Council, delivers conclusion remarks at the supervision session. Photo: Duc Hien

According to the report, from 2023 to June 2024, Phuoc Son commune supported the purchase of HI for over 15,100 EM residents, with a total cost exceeding 8.9 billion VND. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, nearly 25,000 people in the commune participated in HI, reaching a coverage rate of 84.3%.

In Dak Nhau commune, approximately 14,500 EM residents received support for purchasing health insurance, with a total cost exceeding 6.2 billion VND. However, 2,407 EM individuals have not yet received health insurance cards as prescribed, due to difficulties related to demographic data and personal identification documents.

According to the general evaluation, the HI support policy has played a role as a social security pillar for ethnic minorities. Propaganda has been promoted, and people's awareness of HI has increasingly improved. In particular, the effective coordination between local authorities and mass organizations has created positive changes in mobilizing HI participation.

However, several challenges remain, including residents frequently working far from home and significant population fluctuations, as well as many cases of incomplete or inaccurate personal identification documents, and a continued reliance on support policies among a portion of the population.

A representative of the Dak Nhau commune’s leaders speaks at the supervision session. Photo: Duc Hien

Based on actual implementation, representatives of the two communes made several recommendations: continued financial support is needed, especially for EM households in extremely difficult circumstances; it is proposed to expand the list of beneficiaries to include students in ethnic minority areas; HI agents should be assigned to the Commune People's Committee as soon as possible; and the quality of initial medical examination and treatment should be improved, with investment in medical equipment for commune health stations.

Speaking at the inspection session, Dieu Dieu, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council, acknowledged the positive results from the two localities and highly appreciated the efforts of all levels and sectors in implementing the policy. He also emphasized: Supporting HI for ethnic minorities is a policy with profound humanitarian significance, contributing to health protection and social security. Therefore, it is necessary to continue implementing it synchronously and effectively, focusing on improving the quality of medical examinations and treatment, and building trust among people when using HI cards.

The Head of the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council also stated that the recommendations from the grassroots will be compiled and submitted to the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council for consideration in the upcoming session.

By Quoc Phong, Duc Hien – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho