The establishment of the information and technology (IT) system operation centre and customer service centre is a significant milstone in the Vietnam Social Security (VSS)’s development.

The VSS moved up 18 spots to the second place in the Vietnam ICT Index 2017, the rankings on the readiness for information and communications technology development and application. This was a vivid illustration for the sector’s efforts to effectively manage social and health insurance funds. Additionally, the IT system has been connected with the e-Government system to provide a resident database, serving health insurance coverage targets.

National Assembly deputies visit the VSS’s IT system monitoring centre (Source: Viet Nam Social Security)

During an inspection of IT use in the VSS on August 17, 2017,  Deputy Minister of Information and Technology Nguyen Thanh Hung noted “The VSS is a notable example of IT application in administrative reform. Together with the General Department of Taxation and the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the VSS has many online documents”.

Intensive IT use in providing public services to residents and organisations helps the sector stabilise its operation and support citizens, employers and employees in registration and entitlement to insurance policies.

At a conference to review ten-year implementation of the IT Law on November 23, 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam also hailed the VSS’s IT use which resulted in the establishment of a database with information of more than 90 million Vietnamese residents. The database, when connected to relevant agencies and ministries, will back the Government’s management of residents and social security.

Visiting the VSS’s two centres, leaders from the Ministry of Health noted their ability to examine e-health insurance to prevent the abuse of medical insurance. Other compliments came from Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Social Affairs Committee Nguyen Thuy Anh, who hailed the VSS’s efforts to build and operate an advanced IT system. Impressed by the electronic health insurance verification system, Professor Nguyen Anh Tri, former director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Tranfusion, stressed that its timely warnings will help the health sector make suitable adjustments to ensure transparency and prevent insurance fraud.

Sustainable welfare fulcrum

Over the years, the social insurance sector has closely followed the Party’s resolutions and Government’s instruction, while working with ministries, sectors and local authorities to reinforce laws on social and health insurance, contributing to ensuring the nation’s social security.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was impressed by the social insurance sector’s IT system. To continue its good implementation of social and health insurance policies, the sector has been focusing on eight sets of criteria and tasks. Among those are administrative reform with a stress on procedures and IT application in governance and data building, toward the development of a modern, professional and effective social insurance system.

Currently, the sector is studying a mechanism for its sharing of unemployment insurance data with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to control beneficiaries of the insurance. It is also working with the Health Ministry to update their list of common terms used for data building, and with relevant IT units to complete the function of verification software to deter misappropriation of the health insurance fund. After the Ministry of Public Security issued codes of citizenship, the Vietnam Social Security will work with the ministry to integrate the codes into their associated social insurance codes.

International Cooperation Department