Significance of implementation of digital card in comprehensive reform in health care system of mongolia / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

ABSTRACT

Medical service electronic card should be given to each citizen• This card should be owned by each citizen from the nearlis years and it should be the payment tool in all secondary and tertiary hospitals• The pledged cash distribution by the politicians during the election campaigns should be placed first, in card• The card balance should be no less than MNT200,000. when patients needs to certain medical service on secondary and tertiary Hospitals• This payment tool should be able to be converted to cash for diagnosis, treatment, medical consultation and health supporting activities.• It should be transferable to family members and friends.• Some percentage of unused balance at the end of each year could be given to the individual as a bonus for protecting his health and the remaining balance could be kept intact for next year’s medical services• The card can be transferable upon death of the owner• Make a policy when the amount needed for the medical services exceeds the card balance for a given year (certain percentage of expenses of medical procedures that are done few times, but expensive could be covered by health insurance fund or by the state. This will enable the outflow of money to be directed to Mongolia and it will serve as investment in hospitals in Mongolia)Benefits of using the electronic payment card• Patients can freely choose one’s doctor and hospital and he is able to receive one’s desired medical services• One is able to control the medical services and is able to participate equally in the processThe state will be able to• Provide consistent and outreaching medical services• Initially the state will take the responsibility for first aid, social health services and emergency aidThe electronic card should cover• Secondary hospital services (fully)• Tertiary hospital services (majority)Other advantages of the electronic card• As all hospitals are on the same starting point, the medical staff will be highly motivated for a constructive competition• Improvement in qualification, accountability and service quality of the staff• Completely stop the appointment of hospital management by political party affiliations or connections. The top management will strive to make a team of qualified and skilled staff• The staff will be able to receive compensation packages that are correlated to their knowledge, qualifications, experience, skills and performances• When hospitals have “state enterprise” status and it has independent operation and management, there will be no improper activities such as outside pressures on supply and renovation of equipment and services, bidding intrigues and forced consumption and the hospitals will be able to work in business like mechanismThe biggest advantage is that there will be an unprecedented large inflow of money into health care system of MongoliaTherefore, there will be the following benefits• Hospitals will be able to renovate, introduce know-how, train their staff and will be able to have additional funding for pay increase for the staff• It will be instrumental in launching a high cost, world class treatment and diagnosis department in the near future (heart, brain surgery and organ transplantation etc.)• There will be more highly qualified clinician doctors (educated by both of eastern and western medicines) as the hospitals will function on the basis of demands and preference by patients.• Due to the real market mechanisms only the competent hospitals will continue working after competition• Health supporting organizations will be financially sound• Because patients will have their payment tools in a form of the electronic card, some bureaucratic procedures such as the provincial affiliation and 13th form will be eliminated• Main information about the patients could be entered into the card, for example, Thaiwan has this system, so, it will create a database• When the balance is not used some interest could be accrued on the balance, like in Singapore.• Any level of hospital will be able to transform to a private entity by market principles.• It will eliminate subsidized, inefficient, high cost medical service structure that was built in socialist time and create a demand-based, smaller, but powerful and qualified medical system in Mongolia.• There will be a database with true information• The state will be able to count the population again• The state budget will increase by profit tax collection• The equipment and assets of bankrupt hospitals (with poor management and not customer oriented) should be sold in bidding and the other hospitals will be able to introduce know-how, will have funding for loans, training and new jobs.