Minister Tien, speaking to an audience on the weekly VTV programme "People ask, Ministers answer", said the amended law required that medical insurance was compulsory and would be purchased in family packages.

The measure would see sharp decreases in the co-payment for health treatments for low socio-economic groups. Co-payments for low-income families would drop from 20 per cent of total treatment costs to 5 per cent. Relatives of policy beneficiaries would either face no co-payments or only be required to pay 5 per cent of the total treatment cost.

Another new regulation included in the law says that from 2016, poor families, families living in areas of particular disadvantage or islands, would be able to access health care services at any level: communal, district, provincial or central.

The Ministry has also set up a hotline at all hospitals to receive inquiries or complaints from people regarding the attitude of doctors and nurses, health check-ups and treatment procedures. The ministry has also penalised individuals who have violated the regulations.

Regarding medicine prices, the Minister said recent surveys carried out by the ministry had revealed that prices in Viet Nam were lower than in China by 1.5 to 2 times, and 2.5-3 times lower than in Thailand.