Attending the working session at the headquarters of the provincial social security agency were leaders of some units under the VSS, the provincial social security agency, and functional departments and district-level social security agencies in the area.

In the report at the working session, the Deputy Director of the provincial social security agency, Duong Quoc Tuan, stated that in 2022, with the determination and efforts of the entire unit, direction from the VSS, the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, and close coordination with departments, levels of local authorities, the provincial social security agency had implemented many solutions to carry out the social, health, and unemployment insurance regimes and policies well, ensuring timely and full entitlements for participants.

Despite facing challenges from the pandemic and policy changes affecting around 25% of the population, Lai Chau Province was able to achieve the targets set by the VSS for the development of participants in social and health insurance by the end of 2022, with 29,523 mandatory social insurance participants, 7,540 voluntary social insurance participants, and 393,656 health insurance participants, with a coverage rate of 82.1% of the population. The province's debt for social, health, and unemployment insurance accounted for only 0.9% of the total amount owed.

The overview of the meeting

In the first three months of 2023, the provincial social security agency will continue to implement a comprehensive set of measures to develop participants, urge the collection and reduction of debts, resolve and fully pay out entitlements related to social, unemployment, and health insurance, strengthen inspection and surprise checks, and promptly handle any violations. The targets for the development of participants, revenue collection, and debt reduction in the province have all increased compared to the same period in 2022.

In addition to discussing the achievements, during the working session, the leaders of the provincial social security agency and its affiliated departments and district-level social security agencies focused on evaluating and identifying the difficulties and challenges in implementing social and health insurance policies in the area. Currently, there are over 21,000 workers aged 18 and above who have reported temporary absence due to labor migration to other provinces and cities within the country as Lai Chau does not have industrial parks or export processing zones that require a large workforce. Most of the local businesses employ very few workers, with over 60% of them using less than 5 workers. As a result, in the past years, the provincial social security agency has found it challenging to gather data on social insurance participants.

The Director of the Department of Social Insurance Book and Health Insurance Card, Duong Van Hao, assessed that the biggest challenge for the province currently is developing social and health insurance participants due to the limited economic conditions of the population, the widespread and complex geography, sparse population, and uneven distribution. Therefore, the provincial social security agency needs to closely follow and flexibly implement the guidelines and directives from the VSS in this area.

Regarding this field, Mr. Lo Quan Hiep, the Director of the Inspectorate Department, also analyzed, evaluated, and recommended that the provincial social security agency needs to improve its inspection and specialized auditing activities to detect targets and provide sources for revenue collection and the development of social and health insurance participants. At the same time, it is necessary to focus on imposing penalties when violations are detected to improve the compliance awareness of employers, especially small businesses.

For the health insurance field, Mr. Le Van Phuc, the Director of the Department of Health Insurance Implementation, stated that due to the province's vast geography and difficult transportation, the grassroots and commune-level healthcare system is currently showing significant effectiveness. The provincial social security agency needs to strengthen its coordination with the Department of Health to advise the local government on improving the quality of this system to better serve the people.

Regarding the communication work, Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, the Director of the Communication Center, evaluated that in recent times, the provincial Social Insurance Agency of Lai Chau has performed well in this area with many contents and forms suitable for the local characteristics, such as broadcasting programs in the languages of ethnic minorities, organizing effective campaigns to spread awareness and trust among the people, mobilizing social resources to provide social insurance books and health insurance cards for tens of thousands of people, bringing practical benefits...

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh concluded the meeting

In conclusion of the working session, on behalf of the leadership of the industry, Nguyen The Manh, VSS’ Director General, praised and acknowledged the achievements of the Lai Chau provincial social security agency in 2022. He also affirmed that the VSS always cares and creates the best conditions for the provincial social security agency to fulfill its tasks.

Director General Nguyen The Manh assessed that Lai Chau province still faces many difficulties, with the average income per capita only equal to half of the national average, large wealth gaps, and ethnic minorities accounting for over 90% of the population. These factors have a significant impact on implementing social and health insurance policies in the area.

In terms of communication work and developing participants, the provincial social security agency needs to firmly grasp and adhere to local characteristics to come up with suitable and flexible solutions. It should focus on direct communication methods, targeting small community groups, organizing launch events, and mobilizing and utilizing the roles of respected individuals, village and tribal leaders.

On behalf of all officers, civil servants, employees, and workers in the unit, the Director of the Lai Chau provincial social security agency, Dinh Gia Tang, received and absorbed the guidance of the VSS Director General. He also expressed his gratitude and hoped to continue receiving the attention, guidance, and support of the leadership of the industry and the operational units in fulfilling their tasks. The provincial social security agency will continue to strive and make efforts, promote the spirit of unity and responsibility to achieve the best results in all assigned tasks./.