According to VSS, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, social security agencies of provinces and cities have made efforts to collect debts and expand insurance participation. The strong outbreaks in southern localities forced a lot of enterprises to go bankrupt, leading to an increasing number of employees having their labour contracts suspended, ended or leaving jobs without payment.

Due to the enforcement of the Government’s Decision No 861/QĐ-TTg dated June 4, 2021 on health insurance policies for those living in disadvantaged areas, the number of health insurance participants has decreased significantly.

Illustrative image (internet)

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh asked directors of social security agencies in provinces and cities, especially localities not hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, to strive to complete assigned tasks in 2021 as stipulated in Plan No 2800/KH-BHXH dated September 6 by Viet Nam Social Security, in which the number of enrollees in the voluntary social insurance system was above the number recorded by December 31, 2020; and keep the proportion of health insurance participants above the target set at the beginning of the year (as stated in Decision No 356/QD-BHXH dated April 14, 2021 by Viet Nam Social Security.

To that end, the VSS Director General ordered local social security agencies to focus on seven tasks. First, they must work with local authorities to follow the operation of local enterprises to inform employees who have had labour contracts temporarily suspended or ended, or unpaid leave to return to their workplace or areas of residence to continue their work and participate in social insurance and health insurance. This aims to soon stabilise their lives and ensure long-term social security benefits.

Local social security agencies have been urged to review the database of the tax authority to develop the participant network of compulsory social insurance; at the same time, step up unscheduled inspections to supervise debt-owing enterprises.

Another task assigned by the general director is to establish inspection teams to units that did not pay or did not fully pay social insurance for employees but still finalised corporate income tax. Those employers must be punished following the Criminal Code 2015.

VSS plans to give consultation to local authorities to continue to use local budget to buy health insurance cards for people, especially those from ethnic minority groups living in region I according to Prime Minister’s Decision No 861/QD-TTg dated June 4, 2021. People living in region I are defined as those who have recently escaped from poverty and have their living standards initially improved.

VSS will mobilise resources from businesses and benefactors to buy voluntary social insurance and health insurance cards for relatives of the employees, the poor, households and students living under difficult circumstances.

Other solutions include strengthening communication campaigns and organising workshops with customers to encourage them to join voluntary social insurance and household health insurance; cooperating with educational facilities to attract students to the health insurance scheme.

Local social security agencies must submit a report on difficulties and proposed solutions to the VSS every Friday before 3pm.

The VSS General Director called for social insurance agencies in provinces and cities as well as competent departments to bring into full play their role and responsibility in implementing the above-mentioned tasks. In the meanwhile, leaders of local social security agencies must bear responsibility for the implementation of assigned tasks.

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh assigned the Management Board for Collection of Health Insurance Cards and Social Insurance Books and Department of Emulation and Rewards to honour individuals and teams who made outstanding achievements in fulfilling the duties assigned in 2021./.