Manh said at the agency’s briefing conference in June 2022 that it is one of the important tasks for this year.

He tasked the Management Board of Social Insurance Collection and Card to consult the leaders of the agency to direct the implementation of the work.

The board has to issue solutions to urge and supervise the agency’s branches in the localities in implementing the task, he said.

General Director of Viet Nam Social Security Nguyen The Manh chairs the conference.

He also assigned the Department of Social Insurance Implementation to make forecasts as well as issue solutions to implement the task and remove difficulties, he said.

The department is told to supervise and quickly ensure benefits to employees that were infected with COVID-19.

“The support packages on social security have been highly appreciated by the Government, especially the support package of the social insurance sector with simplified administrative procedures and timely payments to employees affected by the pandemic,” he said.

The agencies’ units are required to closely follow the direction of the Government and the sector to actively participate in the amendment of the Law on Inspection and Law on Medical Examination and Treatment. Thereby assessing the impact of the laws on the sector and then making appropriate recommendations, he said.

The units should closely coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to remove difficulties in fund accounting and make comprehensive assessments of the use of medical supplies, he said.

They have to work with local authorities in implementing policies on social and health insurance; and review the increase of social and health insurance participants in localities, he said.

Manh also asked the units to promote communication of social and health insurance policies and strengthen inspections to find violations in the implementation of social and health insurance policies.

Results

Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Social Security Board of Commissioners Nguyen Van Cuong delivers a speech at the conference.

Data from the agency showed that by the end of May, the total number of people participating in social, health and unemployment insurance nationwide reached over 16.7 million, an increase of over 507,000 people compared to the same period last year.

The number of people participating in compulsory social insurance reached over 15.4 million people, increasing by over 376,000 people compared to the same period last year.

The number of people participating in voluntary social insurance reached nearly 1.3 million, an increase of 130,734 people over the same period last year.

Notably, the number of people participating in health insurance reached over 86.2 million, accounting for 87.15 per cent of the population participating in health insurance.

The number of voluntary social insurance participants has increased by about 22,000 people compared to the previous month. However, it is still lower than the same period last year.

The agency has also coordinated with the Government Office to simplify some administrative procedures, providing online public services on the National Service Portal. It already reviewed, updated and synchronised data related to administrative procedures on the portal.

It provided level-four public service on the portal. The level-four public service allows users to fill in and send application forms to the wards’ people’s committees entirely online. The forms are then processed online and users can pay the fees online.

Besides, it also provided utilities and public service on VssID - Digital Social Insurance application.

By the end of February, nearly 25 million accounts transacted with the agency via the application.

Delegates at the conference.

The agency’s branches have strengthened random inspections at businesses that failed to make their payments of social and health insurance for employees; consult local administrations to continue deducting money from the local budget to buy health insurance cards for disadvantaged people, especially ethnic minorities.

Speaking at the briefing conference, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Social Security Board of Commissioners Nguyen Van Cuong said that recently, the board had organised a meeting to fix shortcomings in the implementation of the policies on social and health insurance.

During the meeting, the members pointed out a number of unclear legal grounds for implementing the policy of social and health insurance that need to be amended, he said.

The board also found that it will be difficult to achieve the social insurance’s coverage target by 2025 set out in Resolution 28 with the current rate of raising the participants of social and health insurance.

Therefore, the agency is advised to have specific measures and plans to meet the resolution's goals, he said./. VSS