Positive results

The delegation had a working session with the Vinh Long Province Social Security Office on December 18. Director of the office Pham Minh Duong reported on the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies and laws in the 2021-2023 period.

Relevant agencies at all levels and provincial authorities have actively carried out measures to fulfil assigned tasks regarding social insurance and health insurance. The number of social insurance and health insurance participants has kept increasing annually. The settlement of related policies and benefits has been carried out promptly, ensuring the interests of participants. The social insurance and health insurance funds were managed legally. The office has also promoted administrative reform, applied information technology, and sped up digital transformation.

 A delegation of the VSS Board of Commissioners works with Vinh Long Province Social Security Office

Communication work has been carried out proactively and regularly and continues to be renewed with diversified methods to help local people get better access to information relating to social insurance and health insurance policies. Many forms of communication have been carried out, including the organisation of conferences, dialogues, campaigns and working groups or the establishment of women’s saving teams to join voluntary social insurance. The Vinh Long Province Social Security Office has also continued to renew communication methods as well as build and edit communication products to create different information channels for local people to get access to social insurance and health insurance policies. In the 2021-2023 period, there were 1,071 communication conferences held with 60,680 participants.

Thanks to appropriate solutions, 31 per cent of the provincial workforce joined social insurance, fulfilling the target set by the provincial People’s Council; the health insurance coverage rate reached 93.4 per cent; and the amount of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance debts is estimated at 1.36 per cent of the total collection.

Implementing comprehensive measures

Apart from these achievements, Duong admitted that difficulties remained. For example, the rate of students participating in health insurance remains low because a number of schools paid less attention to the implementation of health insurance for students. 

At the working session, leaders of certain units of the Ministry of Health and the VSS discussed issues relating to the management of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance; increase of medical examination and treatment costs; digital transformation in medical examination and treatment; and the settlement of health insurance-covered medical costs.

VSS Deputy Director General Chu Manh Sinh appreciated the achievements made by the Vinh Long Province Social Security Office. The office has effectively consulted local authorities in implementing social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies; consulted to mobilise the strengths of the whole political system to implement social insurance and health insurance policies effectively; and consulted to complete the steering committee on implementing social insurance and health insurance at all levels. These activities have brought encouraging results, particularly in increasing the number of social insurance and health insurance participants. The number of health insurance participants reached 93.4 per cent of the population. This is a good result in the region.

Communication tasks have proved effective in mobilising units, businesses, employers and employees and local people to join social insurance and health insurance, he said. Voluntary health insurance participants accounted for 40 per cent of the total number of health insurance participants.

Illustrative image (internet)

The province Social Security Office has also done well in digital transformation. It synchronised data of 98.6 per cent of health insurance participants.

Concluding the working session, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan instructed the Vinh Long province Social Security Office to consult local authorities to issue policies to support social insurance and health insurance contributions for disadvantaged groups such as nearly poor households, agro-forestry and fisheries households with average incomes, pupils and students. The office should also continue to consult local authorities to complete the steering committee on implementing social insurance and health insurance policies at all levels, as well as consult local authorities on increasing the number of compulsory and voluntary social insurance participants.

The social insurance coverage rate in Vinh Long province is 31 per cent of people of working age; which, however, is lower than the national average rate. The number of voluntary social insurance participants remains unstable, he said.

***Later the same day, the delegation from the Vietnam Social Security Board of Commissioners held a working session with the provincial People’s Committee on the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies.