Azerbaijan’s compulsory medical insurance to improve citizens’ well-being

By Rasana Gasimova

Compared to global experience, the Azerbaijani model of compulsory medical insurance is distinguished by the most sensitive approach to the interests of citizens, Analyst of Azerbaijan’s Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication Masuma Talibova told Trend.

“The state assumes the main financing budget and envisages allocation of 90 manats ($52.9) from the budget (a total of 900 million manats - $520.9 million) for each citizen. In addition, payments will be fully made by the state in the first quarter of 2020, and citizens will begin to pay from April 1,” Talibova noted.

She noted that unemployed people, retirees, full-time students, citizens receiving social benefits, people involved in agriculture (farmers) are exempt from the payment.

Talibova also added that the budget is formed on the principle of solidarity allowing all citizens to receive medical services on an equal basis

“For citizens receiving medical services, the amount of payment attributable only to their share isn’t limited to the indicated amount. If necessary, a citizen will be able to receive these services without restriction,” she added.

Talibova emphasized that the quality of services, their transparency will be controlled by the medical examination of the Compulsory Medical Insurance Agency. She said that creation of fully digitalized registration system will contribute to the creation of a transparent healthcare system, preventing cases of paying unofficial remuneration and bonuses to doctors.

She noted that the salary of doctors will increase.

“The salary will be paid by the Compulsory Medical Insurance Agency according to the unified tariff schedule (in addition, bonuses will be paid). In practice, the positive impact of compulsory medical insurance in this issue has already been proven. So, the salary of doctors working in the test project was 2.5-3 times higher than the salary of other doctors,” she added.

“The application of services will be carried out in stages for the whole country. The main reason for this is the need for some time to assess the potential of 3,042 medical institutions and the compliance of the quality of services with quality standards. Initially, the implementation will begin from the northern districts in Azerbaijan,” Talibova noted.

She said that compulsory medical insurance will positively affect social well-being of Azerbaijani citizens.

“The improvement of quality of medical services, the infrastructure of medical institutions, renewal of medical equipment in accordance with new technologies, enlightenment of medical personnel in accordance with the international standards will also lead to higher quality of services which are rendered to citizens,” the analyst added.

Talibova added that introduction of the above mentioned algorithms will lead to the timely detection, as well as high-quality and effective treatment of diseases by doctors, and will also contribute to the prevention of diseases.

“At the same time, development of medical institutions in the districts in accordance with the world standards will make the process of obtaining medical services by citizens more flexible, affordable and effective by eliminating the need for an influx of residents from the districts to the cities to obtain medical services,” she said.

Note that the pilot project on compulsory medical insurance has been implemented in Azerbaijan since late 2016. It currently covers the city of Mingachevir and the Yevlakh and Aghdash regions.

The compulsory medical insurance program will be implemented in four stages. Each stage will be implemented in the corresponding quarter of 2020. At the first stage, the program will be implemented in 20 northern regions, at the second stage - in another 17 western regions, at the third - in 14 southern regions, and in the fourth quarter it will be carried out in Baku, Sumgait and on the Absheron Peninsula.

The 2020 state budget allocates 902.9 million manats ($531.1 million) for the implementation of compulsory medical insurance.

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