From Tomorrow, Compulsory Health Insurance Services to Cover Entire Population of Azerbaijan

Baku/31.03.21/Turan: From April 1, compulsory health insurance (CHI) services will cover the entire population of Azerbaijan. The cities of Baku and Sumgayit, as well as the Absheron region, are transferred to the area of ​​activity of the State Agency for Compulsory Health Insurance (SACHI).

“Residents of the country will use 2,550 medical services included in the Compulsory Health Insurance Package. The package of services includes primary health care, emergency and urgent care, specialized outpatient care, physiotherapy, invasive radiology, laboratory and inpatient services,” the SACHI said.

As part of the package of services for citizens, medical services are provided in areas in medical institutions subordinate to the Directorate of Territorial Medical Units (TABIB), as well as when it is impossible to provide services in these medical institutions on a contract basis. “To take advantage of the package of services, citizens must first consult with a family doctor, with the exception of emergency and urgent medical care. To do this, citizens need to contact a state medical institution providing primary health care and choose a family doctor in accordance with the "Rules for admitting insured persons to a public medical institution for primary health care." After examination or treatment of the citizen, the family doctor will refer the patient to a qualified doctor, if necessary,” reports the State Agency for Health Insurance.

The State Agency also points out the existing problems: “Several state medical institutions have been allocated to fight the coronavirus. Thus, these health facilities do not currently provide other health services. Taking this into account, the Agency turned to the relevant government agency with a request to postpone the collection of co-financing until January 1, 2022.

It should be noted that, according to the Law on Health Insurance, co-financing is applied when applying for outpatient, laboratory, functional diagnostic medical services directly without going to primary health care, as well as when contacting a public medical institution outside the area of ​​TABIB activity.

Part of the funds for CHI services is allocated from the state budget. Also, from January 1 of this year, a contribution is collected from employers and employees for compulsory health insurance.   --------08D--