The delegation included VSS Deputy Director General Le Hung Son, heads of some units of VSS, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Le Doai and leaders of relevant agencies.

Vice chairman of the Management Board of VSS Nguyen Van Cuong, who led the delegation, speaks at the meeting

Provincial authorities directed the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies, gaining positive results

Thanks to the attention of the provincial authorities on social security tasks, social insurance and health insurance policies have proved their role as a key pillar of the province’s social security system, contributing to replacing or partly compensating for labourers’ incomes.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Le Doai said the committee has issued many documents guiding the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies over the past year with the consultancy from the province’s Social Insurance agency, making the social insurance and health insurance coverage rate an important criterion in the province’s socio-economic development and new-style rural area construction. The province has also implemented many policies to support citizens to participate in social insurance and health insurance.

Vice chairman of Nam Dinh Province’s People’s Committee Tran Le Doai speaks at the meeting.

Director of the province’s Social Insurance Agency Tran Van Dung delivered a brief report on the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies in Nam Dinh Province during the 2020-2021 period. The number of social insurance and health insurance participants exceeded the set target and the province has basically fulfilled the goal of universal social insurance coverage. 

In 2020, there were 1,630,196 people participating in social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance in the province, up by 32,423 participants (equivalent to 2.03 per cent) in comparison with 2019. The figure increased to 1,647,657 in 2021, up 2.7 per cent in comparison with that of 2020. The health insurance coverage reached 94 percent of the province’s total population.

Collection of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance premiums always exceeded the targets set by the Vietnam Social Security (reaching 100.6 percent in 2020 and 100.2 per cent in 2021).

During the 2020-2021 period, the province actively enhanced administrative reform, application of information technology, e-transactions, public services and cashless payments. As of March 31, 2022, more than 4,100 units in the province registered e-transactions (equivalent to 95 per cent of the total number of units participating in social insurance and health insurance in the province); and over 11,000 people benefitted from retirement pensions and allowances via bank accounts. The province’s social insurance also actively implemented the Government resolutions to support labourers and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and paid attention to communication tasks, inspection and management over the use of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance funds and achieved positive results.

Enhancing measures to continue to increase social insurance and health insurance coverage

Speaking at the meeting, deputy director general of the VSS Le Hung Son spoke highly of the achievements made by Nam Dinh Province and its Social Insurance Agency in implementing social and health insurance.

However, he noted that the development of social insurance participants still lagged behind the province’s potential. He said the province should continue to guide this task with a specific roadmap and solutions.

Deputy director general of the VSS Le Hung Son speaks at the meeting.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Le Doai said the province always paid attention to guiding the implementation of social insurance policies; and issued many documents directing relevant departments and agencies to implement social and health insurance policies. He also analysed the unique characteristics of Nam Dinh in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies and what needed to be done in the future.

He agreed with the recommendations from the supervision delegation to continue strengthening the leadership and direction of local authorities to help fulfil set targets, contributing to increasing the rate of participants in social and health insurance.

Chairing the working session, deputy head of the VSS’ Management Board Nguyen Van Cuong applauded the province’s achievements in implementing social and health insurance policies. With the leadership and direction from local authorities, the legal system and social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies have been gradually completed.

Social insurance and health insurance policies have promoted their roles as key pillars in the province’s social security system. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, social security policies in general and social insurance and health insurance policies, in particular, contributed to help stabilise the economy and ensure part of labourers’ incomes when they faced difficulties.

Apart from the above achievements, the supervision delegation also noted difficulties and challenges in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies in Nam Dinh. The target set by Resolution 28-NQ/TW to increase the social insurance coverage to 45 per cent by 2025 is a challenge because the rate stands at 25.3 per cent at present. It means that the province needs to increase the coverage rate by 6 per cent each year in order to meet the target.

The province’s Social Insurance Agency needs to analyse, assess and propose potential groups of participants to increase information dissemination about social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies and enhance supervision and inspection of employers to protect employees’ interests.

 Director of Nam Dinh Province’s Social Insurance Tran Van Dung speaks at the meeting.

The province also reported that the number of voluntary social insurance participants in 2021 increased slightly due to difficulties caused by the pandemic, urging more flexible and effective measures to disseminate information and mobilise people to participate in voluntary social insurance.

The supervision delegation suggested local authorities and the social insurance agency increase interdisciplinary inspections to prevent social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance debts.

More attention should also be paid to communication to raise residents’ awareness of the benefits of insurance policies and encourage more people to join.

The meeting was held on April 21.

Members of the supervision delegation also held a working session with Nam Dinh General Hospital which provides medical services covered by health insurance.

Concluding the working session, deputy head of the VSS’ Management Board Cuong said with a population of over 1.8 million, including around 1 million people of working age, the social insurance coverage rate of Nam Dinh Province remains low.

The provincial People’s Committee and Social Insurance Agency need to closely follow the plans of the Government and VSS and flexibly and creatively apply them in line with real conditions to increase the social insurance coverage rate, fulfilling the target set by the Party Central Committee’s Resolution 28-NQ/TW about reforming social insurance policies. This is important in ensuring the sustainability of the policies.

Regarding solutions, the province’s Social Insurance Agency should consult and closely follow local authorities’ directions to mobilise the whole political system of the province in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies; and carrying out policies to support participants to pay for insurance premiums.

It is also necessary to speed up communications with every citizen and labourer to encourage them to participate in social and health insurance.

 The supervision delegation works with Nam Dinh General Hospital.

Cuong said he will consider the opinions and recommendations of the provincial People’s Committee and relevant departments at the working session with the aim of helping to implement social insurance and health insurance policies more effectively./.