The branch is also required to regularly update information provided by the tax, planning and investment sectors as well as data provided by the commune and ward’s managerial agencies to increase the number of participants.

Deputy General Director of Viet Nam Social Security Le Hung Son made the order at a meeting with the branch on August 18.

The meeting, which aims to deploy solutions to develop participants in the province, was co-chaired by Son and Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Y Ngoc.

Delegates at the meeting

At the same time, Son asked the local administration to continue creating favourable conditions for the branch to complete its tasks.

The local administration is suggested to direct relevant units to obey regulations on social and health insurance so that the branch could expand coverage, especially health insurance for students, he said.

The local administration should arrange the local budget to support poor and disadvantaged people to participate in voluntary health and social insurance; mobilise local businesses to donate health insurance cards, and voluntary social insurance books to poor and disadvantaged people, and direct relevant sectors to proactively supply medicines to ensure that there are no shortages at medical facilities, he added.

Speaking at the meeting, director of the branch Vu Manh Chu said in recent years, the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the province has gained achievements thanks to the efforts and consensus of relevant agencies and local people.

As of July 31,2022, the province has 52,803 people participating in social insurance, reaching 18.55 per cent of the total people of working age.

There are 12,837 people participating in voluntary social insurance, accounting for 4.51 per cent of the total people of working age.

There are 33,499 participants in unemployment insurance, reaching 11.77 per cent of the total people of working age.

The province now has 497,340 people participating in health insurance, reaching 90.58 per cent of the population.

The total collection of social, health and unemployment insurance in the first seven months of this year reached VND716 billion (US$30.5 million).

The branch has paid VND464 billion (US$19.7 million) for participants in social and unemployment and VND188 billion (US$8 million) for participants in health insurance at the same time.

 Deputy General Director of Viet Nam Social Security Le Hung Son delivers a speech at the meeting

Difficulties, solutions

According to the branch, although the development of participants has achieved positive results, the number of participants has increased slowly and the implementation of the targets assigned by the provincial People's Council and the People's Committee has still faced many difficulties.

To reach the target of 92.75 per cent of people participating in health insurance following Decision No 546/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, the branch needs an additional 14,660 participants in the last five months of this year, equivalent to at least 3,000 participants each month.

Besides, it also needs 4,000 new participants in voluntary social insurance, equivalent to at least 800 new participants each month.

Speaking at the meeting, Standing Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee A Pot said that the responsibility for implementation of social and health insurance policies is not the responsibility of the branch alone, but also of relevant agencies at all levels.

He suggested the relevant agencies continue to raise awareness of the role of social, unemployment and health insurance.

They should identify that implementation of the policies on social, health and unemployment insurance is an important political task, contributing to ensuring social security, he said.

It is necessary to integrate the targets of raising the participants of social and health insurance in the annual programmes and plans of the Party and State agencies, the local Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations at all levels, he said.

Besides, it has to enhance calling on local organisations, individuals and businesses to donate health insurance cards for disadvantaged people in the province, he said.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Y Ngoc requested the committee's Office to coordinate with the branch to fully summarise the suggestions and recommendations of the delegates at the meeting to advise the Committee to consider and direct implementation.

Regarding solutions to develop participants in social and health insurance in the last five months of this year, Ngoc told relevant agencies to strengthen the dissemination of policies on social, health and unemployment insurance to local people in many forms, with short, close and easy-to-understand content.

At the same time, he suggested that the committee assign targets for raising the number of people participating in social and health insurance in the last five months of this year to the People's Committees of districts in an attempt to meet the targets by the deadline.

The provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has to issue appropriate solutions for the development of participants in compulsory social insurance; strengthen inspections of the implementation of the policies at units and enterprises in the locality; strictly handle violations on delaying payments of social insurance or failing to ensure the welfare benefits for employees in accordance with regulations.