Speaking at a meeting on December 25 to review the one-year implementation of a project on developing the application of the population database, e-identification, and e-authentication for national digital transformation in the 2022-2025 period with a vision to 2030 (Project 06), VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh said that the development of fundamental databases like the national insurance database would create an important premise for promoting professional activities in the digital environment of the industry and stepping up national digital transformation.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Committee for Digital Transformation, chaired the meeting

VSS General Director Manh said the national insurance database was one of the six important national databases that need to be prioritised to create a foundation for the development of e-Government. The database stored information on social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance and information on healthcare and social security.

VSS is assigned by the Government to be the body responsible for building, managing and operating the National Insurance Database.

Up to now, the VSS is managing data of over 98.7 million people and households, of which, 90.5 million people participate in health insurance, 15.9 million people participate in compulsory social insurance, 1.4 million people participate in voluntary social insurance, and 4.9 million people enjoy social insurance and unemployment insurance regimes.

The database is connected to more than 13,000 medical facilities, receiving and processing nearly 300 million online applications annually. On average, there are about 170 million requests for payment of medical and health care costs per year.

Since November 2019, VSS has been one of the first few agencies in the country to connect and share national insurance database with other databases through the national database of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Since 2019, the social security industry has authenticated and shared more than 500 million items of information with ministries, branches, localities and businesses through the system.

Currently, VSS is continuing to coordinate with agencies and organisations in connecting and sharing data, VSS General Director Manh said.

VSS coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security to authenticate and share information related to social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance with the national database on population.

VSS has authenticated over 71 million people whose information is included in the National Insurance Database with the National Population Database. At the same time, VSS provided and shared 62 million records of social insurance and health insurance information for the national population database.

VSS aims to achieve a 100 per cent authentication rate of the population in the database, which facilitated the use of personal ID cards during medical examination and treatment. Personal identification numbers will then replace the number of social insurance books and health insurance card numbers in the future.

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh speaks at the meeting

VSS also coordinated with the Ministry of Planning and Investment on connecting and sharing information about employers, business establishment, and employment.

After being established, enterprises are linked to the social insurance agency. Since the beginning of this year, there have more than 200,000 pieces of business information linked through this system, helping VSS to have accurate information for the social insurance participation of enterprises’ employees.

VSS also coordinated with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Health to speed up the sharing of relevant information.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that a digital government was the major driving force, leading the building of a digital economy, digital citizenship and digital society, contributing to the successful implementation of the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress.

PM Chinh praised the efforts and results achieved by ministries, sectors and localities, as well as the drastic direction of the National Committee on Digital Transformation with the core role of the People's Public Security force, consensus, support and active participation of people and local businesses.

Digital transformation was a new, difficult and complex issue that requires learning international achievements and experience and applying it creatively, in accordance with the specific conditions and circumstances of Vietnam, PM Chinh said while stressing that there should be a way of breakthrough thinking and a strategic vision to promote the spirit of self-reliance, and solidarity for common interests.

Digital transformation must take the people and businesses as the centre, the subject, the goal, and the motivation, in order to provide better quality services, and better serve the people and businesses towards the formation of a digital population and a digital society.

PM Chinh emphasised that a shared national database should be finalised in 2023, while pointing out a number of shortcomings in the work, including an incomplete digital infrastructure and a big gap between urban and rural areas.

PM Chinh asked ministries, sectors and localities to further improve their awareness of the significance of digital transformation in the national socio-economic development strategy in the 2021-2030 period, while continuing to fine-tune institutions and mechanisms to create a favourable legal corridor for national digital transformation.