The ISSA virtual symposium on Leadership in Social Security was held on January 28 within the framework of the International Conference on Management of Social Security (LEAD 2021).

It was organised in collaboration with the ISSA Technical Commission on Organisation, Management and Innovation and in co-operation with the Social Security Administering Body for the Health Sector (BPJS Kesehatan) of Indonesia.

More than 100 ISSA members including the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) attended the event online.

The symposium had two sessions – ‘Leadership in the human-and-digital age’ and ‘Behavioural insights and social security’.

Delivering opening remarks at the symposium, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano, ISSA Secretary General, said in this difficult time, the world had witnessed the role of social security, especially the efficiency of technological application.

“Advances in information and communication technology are opening new opportunities and solutions, and human ingenuity as well as insight are unleashing the transformative power of these technologies,” he said.

“Fundamental and overarching changes are taking place in most of the social security organisations. Managers soon realise that ideas, creativity and innovation will be more effective when combined with capabilities and skills with digital technologies,” he added.

Noting that social security institutions were using insights from psychology, consumer choice and social sciences to improve social security outcomes, Caetano hoped that delegates at the symposium would exchange experience and give their comments on improving the role of governance, expanding social security coverage and ensuring rights and benefits of people.

 A speaker delivers his presentation at the virtual symposium.

Delegates at the symposium shared experiences, practical implementation and orientations in the application of technology, artificial intelligence in management and operation to simplify and create favourable conditions for people participating in social security regimes.

T.B.J. Memela, chief executive officer of the South African Social Security Agency, said South Africa's social security system currently had 10,000 employees, serving about 20 million customers who are enjoying policies such as retirement and social protection.

To ensure payment and prevent fraud, the agency has co-operated with other IT service providers to streamline apparatus, maximise communication channels, co-ordinate with partners and Government agencies to support social security policy beneficiaries, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Traditional payments have been transferred to electronic payments, minimising direct human-to-human contact and transactions. Digital apps have shortened the transaction time, avoided fraud, and created convenience for customers, she said.

Memela said her organisation would continue to innovate, strongly apply IT, take everyone's trust, turn social security into the most suitable choice, attract and expand participants with an aim to help customers enjoy welfare services quickly and conveniently.

Agreeing that IT application has greatly contributed to boosting people's confidence in social security organisations, Fachmi Idris, general director of BPJS Kesehatan, Indonesia, said Indonesia currently had about 220 million people with 83 per cent of health insurance coverage.

Meanwhile, BPJS Kesehatan has about 7,000 employees. Therefore, the digitisation and IT application will contribute to improving labour productivity, supporting staff to work effectively and meet the increasing requirements of customers.

However, promoting the digitisation or not depends largely on the leaders' vision, along with the capacity and qualifications of the staff, he said.

The advantage of BPJS Kesehatan is that 90 per cent of staff are young people, so they are proficient in technology, thus meeting the requirements of innovation in the BPJS Kesehatan ecosystem, he said.

He said the board of directors determined that in this ecosystem, BPJS Kesehatan needs partners for support. They are the banking system for electronic payment and automation to help reducing direct contact. IT partners have helped BPJS Kesehatan build and operate a fraud detection software.

Egon Veermae, director general of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board, said the Estonian Social Security was responsible for paying social insurance and social welfare premiums to people with disabilities or those in charge of the child protection system or participating in social protection. However, the willingness to apply IT, especially among ministries and sectors, remains unready.

To apply IT, Estonia needs to mobilise resources. COVID-19's complicated developments around the world are both a challenge but also an opportunity to force many organisations to change their minds. With the desire to bring the most convenient services to customers, the Estonian National Social Insurance Board has collaborated with partners to go digital, cutting down on paper used.

Thanks to that effort, in 2020, the organisation was assessed by the Estonian Government as an agency with breakthroughs in IT application and digital transformation.

People in Estonia who have ID numbers will have their social security codes automatically activated, he said.

Early this year, the organisation was honoured to be granted an award by the Estonian Ministry of Economy for promoting changes through digital transformation and IT application, he said./.