Vice chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hoang Quang Phong led the delegation.

Participants at the meeting also included VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu, heads of some VSS agencies, Vice Chairman of Tien Giang Province People’s Committee Nguyen Van Muoi, and heads of Tien Giang Social Security and some provincial departments and agencies.

Positive results attributed to close direction of local authorities

Under the leadership of local authorities and the VSS, as well as the coordination of relevant departments and agencies, the implementation of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies in the province has gained positive results. The number of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants keeps increasing annually, insurance premium collection often exceeds targets and participants’ benefits are ensured.

However, due to the fourth outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants faced many difficulties. The number of social insurance participants accounted for only 24.6 per cent of the province’s total workforce by the end of 2021, lower than the set target of 27 per cent.

The provincial authorities have paid great attention to social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies as a key pillar of the social security system helping to replace or partly compensate for employees’ incomes. The local authorities have directed relevant departments and agencies to closely coordinate with the provincial social insurance sector about building action plans and programs to fulfill set targets.

Caption: A view of the meeting

In 2022, the province targets to have 93 per cent of the population participating in health insurance and 29 per cent of the population of working age participating in social insurance. To fulfil the target, the provincial People’s Committee asked relevant departments and agencies at all levels to strive to execute assigned tasks and solutions to develop the number of social insurance and health insurance participants.

Reporting to the supervision delegation, Director of Tien Giang Social Security Vo Khanh Binh said as of April 30, 2022, the number of social insurance participants reached 212,471, accounting for 22.1 per cent of the working-age population, including 194,687 compulsory social insurance participants (equivalent to 91.3 per cent of the target set by the VSS), and 17,784 voluntary social insurance participants (or 46.3 per cent of the set target). The number of unemployment insurance participants was 183,898, fulfilling 90.9 per cent of the target.  

The province also recorded positive results in administrative reform, application of information technology, online transactions, public services and non-cash payment. 

As of April 30, 2022, the total amount of social insurance allowance payment was VND1.094 trillion.

Caption: VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu speaks at the meeting

Enhancing solutions to ensure sustainable social insurance, health insurance coverage

VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu praised the efforts of provincial authorities and relevant departments and agencies in effectively implementing social insurance and health insurance policies and regulations. In the future, Tien Gang Province needs to restructure members of the steering board in developing social insurance and health insurance participants to have more effective solutions in tackling difficulties and contributing to ensuring benefits of social insurance and health insurance participants, he said.

He proposed the provincial authorities continue to enhance direction in developing social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants with a specific roadmap and solutions for specific groups, particularly support policies to attract participants, especially voluntary social insurance participants. Regarding health insurance, the province also needs to have more effective measures to attract participants.

Lieu also listened to recommendations and responded to some questions from participants.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of Tien Giang Province People’s Committee Nguyen Van Muoi affirmed that the committee always paid attention to the development of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants and considered it one of the socio-economic development targets of the province. He also analysed difficulties and challenges in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies and regulations in the province and stressed that Tien Giang Social Security has fulfilled its role in consulting the People’s Committee in issuing documents to improve social security in the province.

Following recommendations from the supervision delegation of the VSS, he said local authorities will continue to enhance leadership and direction to help fulfill set targets, contributing to increasing the rate of social insurance and health insurance participants.

Caption: Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Muoi speaks at the meeting

Speaking at the meeting, head of the supervision delegation Hoang Quang Phong spoke highly of the provincial People’s Committee’s direction as well as coordination between relevant departments and agencies in the province, which helped to gain encouraging results in implementing social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies and laws. The number of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants keeps increasing annually, while the insurance premium collection often exceeds targets and participants’ benefits are ensured.

The province has also expanded the provision of online public services and boosted the application of the VssID app, helping participants to carry out online transactions with social insurance agencies easily and rapidly.

Communication tasks have been improved with diversified methods, helping to disseminate information relating to social insurance and health insurance policies and laws.

However, the supervision delegation also acknowledged difficulties and challenges in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies in Tien Giang Province, he said. He proposed the local authorities direct and take more resolute and effective measures to help fulfill set targets.

Caption: Head of the supervision delegation Hoang Quang Phong speaks at the meeting.

It is necessary to direct relevant departments and agencies to coordinate with the social insurance agency to inspect and examine the adoption of social insurance and health insurance policies and regulations, strictly punish violators, and have measures to better manage the health insurance fund and develop social insurance and health insurance participants sustainably, he said.

Local authorities are also recommended to continue promoting administrative reform and the application of information technology as well as improve communication tasks./.