On the annual National Digital Transformation Day (October 10), Secretary of the Party Delegation to Vietnam Social Security (VSS), Director General Nguyen The Manh spoke about digital transformation in the Vietnam social security industry to best serve the people and businesses.

Secretary of the Party Delegation to VSS, Director General Nguyen The Manh

Reporter: The Vietnam social security industry’s IT application and digital transformation, especially implementation of the Government’s Project 06 have obtained remarkable achievements which were appreciated by the Government, National Assembly as well as the people. Could you please elaborate on prominent achievements that contribute to the industry’s successful implementation of objectives and tasks?

Director General Nguyen The Manh: As a body responsible for implementing social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies, VSS regularly contacts, transacts and serves the majority of people and businesses, therefore the IT application, digital transformation and implementation of Project 06 are identified as a focal task of the social security industry. The task is of great significance as it helps improve the quality of services for organisations and individuals and enhance the industry’s management efficiency. Along with the whole political system, the Vietnam social security industry has made efforts and successfully completed the assigned tasks, bringing about breakthrough changes, contributing to the formation and development of a digital social security industry in line with the direction of the Party and State. Some prominent achievements include:

First, VSS is one of the first units successfully connecting with the National Population Database soon after it was put into official operation. VSS has proactively and actively worked with relevant ministries and sectors to carry out tasks to develop and enrich the National Insurance Database. At present, VSS is managing over 91.74 million participants, 94 per cent of which has been validated and synchronised with the National Population Database.

Second, Besides its role as the major manager of the National Insurance Database – one of the six important national database systems, VSS has accompanied, coordinated and shared data with and supported ministries, sectors and localities (including the ministries of Information and Communications, Justice, Health, Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Education and Training, and Home Affairs, among others) for common goals. Of note, VSS has actively worked with the Government Office, and ministries of Public Security, Justice, and Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to implement two interconnected administrative procedures (Birth registration declaration, permanent residence registration and issuance of health insurance cards for children under six years old; and Death registration, removing permanent residence registration and supporting funeral fees); and the online public service “Settlement of unemployment allowance”, and so on, creating favourable conditions for the people when dealing with social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance procedures.

Additionally, VSS coordinated with public security and health sectors to facilitate the people to get access to medical examination and treatment services through the use of chip-based ID cards and VNeID application; apply biometric technology at healthcare facilities and social security offices at all levels; integrate data of driver’s health examination, birth certificate, death certificate, and electronic health record; and synchronise and share information with the Ministry of Education and Training to help it monitor and evaluate the employment situation of graduates. As of now, all healthcare facilities nationwide have implemented health insurance examination and treatment using chip-based ID cards, with 50 million queries of health insurance information through chip-based ID cards, bringing many practical benefits for patients and healthcare facilities.

Third, complete the provision of online public services in line with the Prime Minister’s Decision No 422/QĐ-TTg dated April 04, 2022 in the National Public Service Portal: “Registration for Voluntary Social Insurance Contribution”; “Registration for Contributing and Receiving Health Insurance Cards for Health Insurance Participants”; “Settlement of Lump-Sum Social Insurance Withdrawal” in order to simplify dossiers and cut time and costs, facilitating the people and businesses.

Fourth, continue upgrading and effectively deploy the digital social insurance application - VssID; concurrently connecting and integrating the electronic identification (VNeID) into the VSS’s VssID, aiming to allow over 50 million of VneID account holders to get access to and use the VssID.

 VSS always regards “digital transformation as a key task for the industry to best serve participants and beneficiaries of insurance policies”

Fifth, synchronously deploy multiple solutions to ensure network information security, such as issuing regulations and rules on network information security, fully implement technical solutions and plans to ensure network information security; orgnanising annual exercise and conference on network information security; inspecting, assessing and monitoring the industry’s information system; establishing a Task Force to respond to network information security incidents of the social security industry to proactively respond and timely handle and prevent cyber attacks (if any).

Above, it can be said that the VSS’s digital transformation has been in the right direction and aligned with the direction of the Government and Prime Minister.

Reporter: These achievements have brought about “breakthrough changes” in all activities of Vietnam social security industry. How have these results impacted and brought effectiveness in the management and operations of the industry, as well as benefits to the participants and beneficiaries?

Director General Nguyen The Manh:  With the motto “Putting people and businesses at the centre of services”, all the outcomes and tasks of the Vietnam social security industry aim to bring about optimal and better benefits for participants and beneficiaries of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies. The industry’s digital transformation has been implemented drastically and comprehensively, raising awareness of the whole staff about the significance of IT application and digital information in the industry’s activities. Accordingly, all units in the industry have proactively and determinedly implemented digital transformation, switching from manual to modern management methods, and transforming the work style from administrative to service-oriented approach to improve satisfaction and better serve social insurance and health insurance participants.

All activities of the social security industry has been digitised, with nearly 30 IT application systems in managing professional process, over 20,000 accounts that are regularly accessed and used to carry out the industry’s professional tasks. The industry’s health review claim system is connecting with nearly 13,000 healthcare facilities nationwide. These are effective tools that help make the health insurance-based medical examination and treatment more open and transparent, ensuring legitimate rights of health insurance participants. Annually, the Health Insurance Claim system and the electronic social security system receive about 300 million dossiers for online transaction.

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh speaks to local people who come to process social insurance procedures at HCM City Social Security Office about the pilot implementation of the industry’s online appointment booking service

Also, VSS has actively implemented and promoted IT application in the inspection and examination activities through the combination of electronic and traditional methods, which helps improve quality, reduce manpower and inspection and examination time (about 48 per cent, from 20 hours to 10.5 hours). At the same time, the practice brings about significant effectiveness in the collection of insurance premiums, expansion of participants, reduction of delayed contributions of premiums, especially minimising the abuse and misappropriation of social insurance and health insurance fund.

Of note, the industry has applied the VssID on mobile phone devices. Currently, there are more than 30 million VssID users, including four million users integrate their health insurance cards into the application to use for medical examination and treatment. It can be said that the VssID has brought about initial successes in VSS’s digital transformation process in line with the national e-Government development scheme. The application enables users to manage and monitor information about the participation into and enjoyment of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance schemes; carry out transactions with social insurance offices; and use the image of health insurance cards integrated into the app to get access to health insurance-based medical examination and treatment. At the 38th ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Board Meeting, VSS was honoured the award “Effective Practice” under the category Information Technology for the application “VssID – digital social security application on smart mobile phone devices.

Besides, people can also use the chip-based ID cards and VneID application to replace the health insurance cards, which facilitates both the users and medical staff.

The social security industry’s customer care system has been reformed to be more modern and customer-friendly, offering various channels for consultation and support for participants: a customer support call centre; a Chabot system to support customers (provide information related insurance premium contributions to and enjoyment of social insurance and health insurance; AI-based automatic responses to questions on social insurance and health insurance policies); and Facebook Fan page/ Zalo OA pages, among others, bringing practical benefits for social insurance and health insurance participants.

Generally speaking, digital transformation and the Project 06 implementation have not only contributed to improving service quality but also enhancing the industry’s management efficiency. The practices have helped develop a modern and professional social security industry of Vietnam for the satisfaction of the people and businesses in line with the Resolution No 28-NQ/TW of the 12th Party  Central Committee.

Reporter: Could you please speak about key lessons and solutions that VSS will carry out to continue upholding these achievements in the coming time?

Director General Nguyen The Manh: On June 15, 2021, the then Prime Minister promulgated Decision No 942/QĐ-TTg approving the Strategy for the Development of e-Government in the 2021-Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean we should be subjective or satisfied with what we have made. VSS’s digital transformation is currently a compulsory requirement that needs to be immediately and comprehensively implemented and a strategic orientation that helps the social security industry develop sustainably in the Industry 4.0.

In line with the Government’s direction, VSS quickly established a Steering Committee on Administrative Reform and a Steering Committee on Digital Transformation, a Working Group on Project 06; and the Party Delegation to VSS issued Resolution No 362-NQ/BCSĐ dated May 12, 2023 on strengthening the implementation of Project 06. Accordingly, VSS introduced an Action Programme to realise the Resolution 362-NQ/BCSĐ which clearly defines the objectives, duties and solutions and assigns tasks for each particular body and unit.

Concurrently, VSS is working with relevant ministries, sectors and domestic and foreign specialists to formulate the Master Plan on Digital Transformation of the industry. In the 2023-2025 period, with a vision to 2030, VSS is determined to push for a strong and comprehensive digital transformation, putting the participants and beneficiaries of social insurance and health insurance systems as the centre. VSS will focus on reinforcing and optimizing the advantages of the available database; actively work with ministries, sectors and localities to authenticate, share and integrate data for the management and provision of online public services; develop the digital social security industry with high-quality digital human resource; pilot and apply new technologies including Block chain, Big Data, and AI to enhance management effectiveness, and improve experience for organisations and individuals. VSS targets to create many more utilities and services to bring about practical benefits for the people and businesses in accordance with its motto “digital transformation is a key and crucial task that helps the industry best serve participants and beneficiaries of insurance policies” and in order to deserve the trust from the Party, State, Government and people.