According to reports at the meeting, as of March 31, 2022, the number of social insurance participants in Hai Duong stood at 409,440, equivalent to 87.7 per cent of the target. The figure increased by 31,214 participants in comparison with the first quarter of 2021. The number of voluntary social insurance participants reached 43,043, equivalent to 76.7 percent of the yearly target and up 9,292 people compared with the first quarter of 2021. There were 1,721,088 health insurance participants, reaching 91 percent of the total population of the province and up 42,603 people in comparison with the first quarter of 2021.

However, the number of social insurance and health insurance participants tended to decrease in comparison with last December. Of which, the number of compulsory social insurance participants reduced by 10,728 people; voluntary social insurance participants by 126 people; and household health insurance participants by 7,739 people.

The provincial Social Insurance Agency said the reduction was partly caused by the shortage of workers. Many workers did not come back to work after returning to their hometowns for the Tet holiday because they were afraid of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, many businesses could not employ new workers. Also, many workers were infected with COVID-19, forcing them to apply for sick leave or temporarily stop working without salary. Besides, some enterprises had to downsize their production scale due to difficulties.

 Director of Hai Duong Social Insurance Agency Doan Thi Chinh speaks at the meeting.

Speaking about communications work, a representative from the provincial Social Insurance said in recent years, the provincial Social Insurance paid more attention to increasing information dissemination about the benefits of participating in social insurance and health insurance as well as new social insurance policies in 2022 with diversified contents and methods.

A view of the working session

With the motto of continuously promoting administrative reform and creating the best conditions for citizens and businesses to take part in social insurance, health insurance, voluntary social insurance and labour accident and occupational disease insurance, the provincial Social Insurance has implemented many measures, including carrying out online transactions for insurance-related activities such as insurance premium collection and payment for insurance benefits; and promoting information dissemination to encourage citizens to participate in social insurance and health insurance and install and use the VssID app. As of March 31, 2022, nearly 750,000 people in the province had registered and used the app.

Assessing the collection task of Hai Duong Social Insurance Agency, Head of the Management Board of Social Insurance Collection and Card of the Vietnam Social Security Duong Van Hao said Hai Duong has a good tradition of developing social insurance and health insurance participants. In the future, the province needs to focus on diversifying information channels to better develop the number of voluntary social insurance and household health insurance participants.

Director of the Communication Centre of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong said Hai Duong Social Insurance Agency is a locality with energetic communication activities. It has been very proactive in communication tasks to mobilise more people to participate in voluntary social insurance and household health insurance.

Vietnam Social Security Director General Nguyen The Manh delivers a speech to conclude the meeting.

Concluding the working session, Director General of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen The Manh spoke highly of the efforts of the Hai Duong Social Insurance Agency to overcome difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hai Duong is one of the localities with a high collection rate of social insurance and health insurance premiums. The province has also suffered great damage during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic which negatively affected its socio-economic development as well as labour changes. However, Hai Duong Social Insurance Agency built creative methods and closely coordinated with relevant agencies to effectively implement guidelines of the provincial People’s Committee as well as of the insurance sector,” he said. 

The insurance sector is expected to continue facing many difficulties in carrying out assigned tasks but there are still opportunities and room for exploitation, he said. He suggested the Social Insurance of Hai Duong Province continue to innovate communication with more effective information dissemination models to spread insurance policies to people from all walks of life in the province.

He asked the Social Insurance Agency of Hai Duong Province to continue following the direction of the provincial People’s Committee; and strongly apply information technology in professional activities.  

He also pointed to the need to keep discipline, improve services for people and handle insurance policies for participants in line with regulations and in a timely manner; speed up digital transformation to improve management efficiency; increase inspection to ensure effective management over social insurance and health insurance funds; and enhance coordination with relevant agencies in the province to strive to fulfil assigned tasks and targets of 2022./.