Sharing with partners in South Africa, Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu introduced the organizational structure, development history, development strategies, as well as efforts and achievements in expanding the coverage of social insurance policies to all citizens and all groups across the country in Vietnam.

According to the latest statistics from the VSS, in the first five months of 2023, the targets of increasing the number of participants in social and health insurance programs have both increased compared to the same period in 2022. So far, the number of participants in social insurance has reached over 17.4 million people, accounting for 37.48% of the workforce in the age group, an increase of 2.7% compared to the same period in 2022. With regards to health insurance, the industry has flexibly implemented many solutions to increase the number of participants and achieved positive results with about 90.69 million people, an increase of 4.43 million people compared to the same period in 2022.

Overview of the meeting (TTXVN-VNA)

Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu stated that the VSS has actively reformed administrative procedures, applied information technology, and promoted digital transformation in the industry's activities to create the most favorable conditions for citizens and units to implement social insurance policies for the people and workers. The Deputy Director General also expressed his hope that the shared experiences would be practical lessons to help the two agencies better implement information technology and digital transformation.

Welcoming the working delegation from Vietnam Social Insurance to visit and work in South Africa, Ms. Busisiwe Memela-Khambula, CEO of SASSA, introduced the comprehensive social security program of South Africa, including three pillars: social assistance program, social insurance, and private insurance. Among them, SASSA is responsible for the first pillar, the social assistance program, implemented on behalf of the South African Department of Social Development.

Ms. Khambula said that the social assistance program is one of the largest poverty reduction programs implemented and fully sponsored by the South African government, with over 40% of the population receiving monthly support from SASSA. Currently, SASSA provides monthly income support to over 18.8 million South Africans, including the elderly, disabled, veterans, children, and those in need. In addition, there are about 8 million people who depend on the special relief grant of R350 (about $19) per month for those who have suffered socio-economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expressing admiration for the achievements in the development of social insurance in Vietnam, Ms. Khambula said that SASSA is very interested in learning management and human resource development experiences from Vietnam, and is also willing to share experiences in applying information technology in social insurance in South Africa.

During the working session, the two sides had many exchanges on social insurance management at the central and local levels. Vietnam also shared its experience in managing social insurance revenue and expenses, customer care, and beneficiaries in Vietnam. Meanwhile, South Africa also shared its experience in using social media to inform and encourage people to register for special social support and assistance./.