VSS identifies policy communication key to bringing social insurance policies to life

20/08/2023 02:18 PM


Viet Nam Social Security has identified policy communication to be the key in bringing social insurance policies to life, develop and expand the number of people participating in the social security net.

The move came after the agency issued Official Letter No 2535/BHXH-TT, sending it to Ha Noi’s National Assembly Delegation to propose to strengthen the dissemination of policies and laws on social insurance to local people at the voter meeting before the fifth session of the 15th National Assembly so that local people will understand and follow the policies.

The communication activities on social insurance policies have been deployed professionally and effectively, contributing to implementing the agency’s tasks over past years.

Especially in 2022, while the country's situation of socio-economic as well as the situation of labour and income faced many difficulties and challenges, the agency still made efforts to surpass all missions assigned by the National Assembly and the Government.

The number of people participating in social insurance reached 17.5 million, accounting for 38.08 per cent of the labour force in age, exceeding the target assigned by the Government.

Policy communication has been identified as the key to bring the social insurance policies to life

The number of people participating in health insurance reached 91.074 million people, accounting for 94.04 per cent of the total population, exceeding the target assigned by the National Assembly.

The communication activities have also created unity in the leadership and direction of the Party committees and authorities at all levels in the implementation of the social insurance policies.

Most Party committees and authorities at all levels from the central to local levels have actively directed the communication activities on the social insurance policies; Party members and people are more and more fully aware of the necessity, role, meaning and benefits of the social insurance policies in ensuring social security and stabilising people's lives.

The communication activities have become a bridge to transmit and bring information about the guidelines, policies and laws of the Party and State on social insurance to all levels, sectors and strata of the people; raise awareness and initiative of people and businesses in participating in and enjoying the policies; strengthening the people's confidence in the policies, helping the people fully realise the meaning and benefits of participating in social insurance, thereby voluntarily participating in social insurance as an indispensable need.

Many businesses have realised that paying social insurance is not only an obligation, but also an important factor to improve the reputation and brand of the business, so that employees can feel secure to participate in production and contribute to the development of the company.

The communication work has made an important contribution to the development, completion and implementation of the social insurance policies.

It is also an effective channel to receive feedback from social insurance participants on the effectiveness of policy implementation, difficulties and problems in practice; propose adjustment solutions; refute bad, toxic, distorted and fake information about the social insurance policies.

The communication work has spread examples of good people, good deeds, creative ways in implementing the social insurance policies; replicated typical examples; promoted the spirit of mutual affection; mobilised and attracted the attention of organisations and individuals, kind-hearted people doing voluntary work to help disadvantaged people to participate in the social insurance policies and joining hands to build a social security system for every citizen which "leaves no one behind".

Women are given health insurance cards by Viet Nam Social Security. The agency launches the programme "Giving social insurance books and health insurance cards to people in difficult circumstances" every year

Content, form renewed

The agency has renewed the content, form and methods of communication and synchronously deployed many solutions to provide timely, accurate and complete information on the social insurance policies, ensuring that people can access all information about the policies, raising awareness about social insurance of all classes of people.

Under Resolution No 28-NQ/TW dated May 23, 2018 on reforming social insurance policies; Decision No 1676/QD-TTg dated November 21, 2019 of the Prime Minister on comprehensive innovation, content, form and method of social insurance dissemination, the agency has carried out many synchronous solutions to effectively deploy the communication of the social insurance policies.

Last year, due to the impact of the increase in the minimum voluntary social-insurance contribution because of the increase in the poverty line in rural areas according to Decree No 07/2021/ND-CP dated 27 January 1, 2021; as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enterprises' production and business activities, and the development of social insurance participants, especially voluntary social insurance, the agency issued many documents guiding the implementation of communication activities to ensure the timeliness and initiative to increase the social insurance participants.

The content, form and methods of communication of social insurance policies have continued to be renewed to ensure practicality, diversity and flexibility in accordance with the characteristics of each region, cultural traditions, psychology of each population group; combined of direct and online forms; promoted the advantages of modern, multi-media forms and methods of communication in the internet environment so that all sectors and classes of people to understand correctly and fully about the social insurance policies.

The agency has coordinated with ministries, sectors and socio-political organisations to deploy synchronously, closely, effectively, creatively many forms of communication on the social insurance policies.

The agency plans to diversify forms of communication on social and health insurance policies in the future

The media and press have launched specialised pages and columns on social and health insurance, while in-depth reports have been carried out to improve the timeliness of news on the social insurance policies.

Localities have operated communication activities on the social insurance policies through conferences, direct dialogues, mass media, internet, social networks, and grassroots radio.

From last year to the first six months of this year, about 47,200 news, articles and reports disseminating social and health insurance policies were published on the media.

More than 57,000 conferences on consultation, dialogue and training were held with the attendance of 2.22 million people.

About 197,400 small-group communication sessions were organised with the participation of about 1.4 million.

Over 1.6 million broadcasts on the social insurance policies were carried out via the loudspeaker system.

The agency has continued to strengthen dissemination about the social insurance policies on its official portal and its official social media channels (Facebook and Zalo fanpages), and the Social Insurance Magazine.

Future missions

The agency plans to continue to strengthen communication and dissemination on the social security policies, towards the goal of universal social and health insurance in the future.

It will proactively and promptly issue documents, guiding the effective implementation of the communication activities on the social insurance policies in association with socio-economic development as well as cultural and human characteristics of each locality.

It also schedules to closely coordinate with Party committees and authorities at all levels, ministries, sectors and socio-political organisations; the media and press to promptly carry out the communication on the social insurance policies to ensure that they are suitable for each group of participants.

It shall continue promoting the communication of the social insurance policies on its official website, the Social Insurance Magazine and its social media channels.

It will diversify forms of communication of the social insurance policies on the internet and social networks to be friendly and accessible to the people.

It will produce communication products on the social security policies that are concise, easy to understand, and focus on encouraging voluntary social security participants.

VSS