Proposed support of 1.5 million VND for pre- and post-natal disease screening

In the draft decree guiding the Population Law being drafted, the management agency details the financial roadmap to stimulate replacement fertility levels. Specifically, the state budget grants 900,000 VND for a prenatal test and 600,000 VND for a newborn. The health sector also proposed to donate 2 million VND to each woman for each childbirth. The authorities pay this amount in cash or bank transfer within three months from the time the person completes the medical service.

To receive this sponsorship package, pregnant women need to be tested for 4 common syndromes including Down, Edwards, Patau and Thalassemia. After birth, the newborn continues to be tested for 5 diseases including hypothyroidism, G6PD deficiency, adrenal hyperplasia, hearing loss and cardiovascular abnormalities.

In fact, for prenatal screening, public hospitals such as Central Obstetrics and Gynecology or Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology charge about 1.2 – 1.5 million VND for a biochemical test combo (Double Test/Triple Test) combined with hemoglobin electrophoresis to find the Thalassemia gene. If pregnant women choose the new generation gene sequencing method (NIPT) that covers all 4 syndromes mentioned above, the price at the public hospital ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 million VND. Meanwhile, private hospitals and clinics charge a fee for this NIPT package from 3 to 5 million VND, depending on the brand and number of additional chromosomes examined.

For screening for 5 neonatal diseases, at a central hospital, the cost of taking heel blood to find three endocrine diseases (hypothyroidism, G6PD, adrenal hyperplasia) costs about 500,000 VND; plus congenital echocardiography (about 220,000 VND) and cochlear sound measurement to screen for hearing loss (185,000 VND), the total cost is about 900,000 VND. However, if the family uses services at international hospitals or private clinics, this basic newborn screening package usually ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 million VND, even higher if combined with screening for dozens of other metabolic disorders.

The draft also stipulates strong sanctions to prevent sex selection. Health inspectors will revoke the medical license of individuals who disclose the sex of the fetus for the purpose of abortion. Every year, statistical agencies are responsible for publishing actual data so that governments at all levels can proactively develop intervention plans.

Policymakers made the above series of proposals in the context that the national birth rate in 2025 only reached 1.93 children per woman, threatening the goal of maintaining replacement fertility by 2030. At the same time, Vietnam faces the consequences of a surplus of men when the rate of male births has exceeded the natural balance level since 2006. Demographic experts predict that society will have a surplus of 1.5 million men in this age group. 15-49 by 2039, or even increase to 2.5 million people 20 years later, if the state does not immediately deploy synchronous solutions. According to the Ministry of Health, policies to support childbirth, prenatal and newborn screening along with communication and management measures will contribute to maintaining a reasonable birth rate, improving population quality and reducing sex imbalance at birth in the coming time.