The VssID mobile application provides essential utilities and information such as monitoring the participation process, policies of social and health insurance, looking up information of social insurance code, social insurance agents, hospitals and health clinics to allow people to use health insurance cards for examination and treatment, household health insurance and 24-hour-daily supporting services.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc said the launch of the application was a strong step in administrative reform and information-technology application of the insurance sector.

Phúc also recognised the sector’s efforts in researching and applying modern technologies to bring more benefits to participants of health and social insurance.

Social insurance coverage had been expanded, increasing by more than 1.3 times compared to 2015, accounting for nearly 33 per cent of the workforce in 2020. The rate of participants of health insurance increased from 76.5 per cent in 2015 to about 91 per cent in 2020, he said.

“The results are remarkable,” he added.

By providing the application, the insurance sector had demonstrated its pioneering spirit in its efforts to facilitate the people, he said.

Phúc said more than 60 per cent of the population used smartphones. He said the price of a smartphone would be only VNĐ600.000 (US$26) each in the near future, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications. So, the use of the application would be very popular.

Phúc ordered the sector to develop a flexible, diversified, modern and internationally integrated social insurance system based on the principles of fairness, equality, sharing and sustainability.

The sector was told to expand the coverage of social insurance towards the goal of universal social insurance, he said.

Additionally, the sector should integrate public service and online payment in the application as well as protect personal data, he said.

Also at the meeting, General Director of Việt Nam Social Insurance Nguyễn Thế Mạnh said the VssID application was believed to be an important step, promoting the digital transformation process of the sector.

Mạnh added that previously, the sector worked with the Ministry of Health to pilot a programme that allowed people in 10 flood-hit provinces in the central and Central Highlands regions to use the VssID application on their smartphones for medical examination and treatment at health insurance facilities.

The application is available on both the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android operating systems.

Using the application, users can monitor their employer's obligation to pay fees of social, health and unemployment insurance for employees, contributing to publicity and transparency and preventing the situation of delaying payment of social, health and unemployment insurance for employees of agencies and enterprises.

The application is also a direct communication channel, providing information on social, health and unemployment insurance policies.