Statistics released from a meeting to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the branch and pointing out tasks for the last six months of this year, showed that the number of people participating in compulsory social insurance by June 2020 was 3.37 times higher than in 1995.

The number of participants in 1995 was 26,073 while the number of participants by June 2020 was 69,947.

After 12 years of launching the policy of voluntary social insurance, the number of participants reached 16,707 by June 2020, about 2.5 times higher than the target that was set under Resolution No 28/NQ-TW by the Party Central Committee.

Health insurance coverage has been expanding over the past 25 years.

It is estimated that 776,305 people participated in health insurance in June 2020.

The population coverage has reached 86.5 per cent by June 2020, an increase of 2.1 times compared to 2009 (the first year the Law on Health Insurance was implemented) and a 10-time increase compared to 1995.

The branch’s accumulated revenue of social, health and unemployment insurance has reached VND14.2 trillion (US$613 million) between 1995 and June 2020.

In 2019, the revenue reached over VND1.88 trillion ($80.7 million), reaching 104.5 per cent compared the plan assigned by the Viet Nam Social Insurance.

Pham Thanh Tung, director of the branch said the 25th founding anniversary was believed to be a chance for the provincial social insurance sector to affirm its achievements as well as make a plan to build the sector in the next period in order to meet requirements of the Party and the people.

The implementation of social and health insurance policies has been facing many new requirements with many important tasks and targets ahead, while the sector enters the 26th year of operation, he said.

Especially, the sector’s target is towards universal social insurance and universal health insurance following Resolution No 21/NQ-TW of the Politburo on "Strengthening the Party's leadership in the implementation of social insurance and health insurance during the 2012-20 period"; Resolution No 28-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee on reforming social insurance policies; the revised Law on Social Insurance and the revised Law on Health Insurance.

Tung said to effectively implement the sector’s new tasks not only this year but also in the next period, every unit of the provincial social insurance branch was told to mobilise all resources to reach the targets set in the two resolutions.

The sector would also strive to achieve the targets of participants and revenues on social, health and unemployment insurance that the provincial People’s Committee and People’s Council set, he added.

Besides, the sector would accelerate administrative reform, apply information technology and renovate the operation model of the social insurance system to quickly cover or pay expenses and ensure the benefits of participants./.