Deputy Director General of Viet Nam Social Security Le Hung Son gave directions at the meeting.

Deputy Director General of Viet Nam Social Security Le Hung Son addresses the meeting

Son acknowledged and highly appreciated the outstanding results achieved by the social insurance agencies of the provinces in Cluster 8 in the first seven months of the year, especially the development of participants in compulsory social insurance.

He praised Ben Tre Province’s Social Security for its efforts to mobilise social resources to buy health insurance cards for all near-poor people in the whole province, which helped reduce reliance on State’s support.

Ben Tre Social Security’s initiative should be expanded nationwide, Son said.

Regarding the difficulties in developing participants of voluntary social insurance and household health insurance, Son requested local social insurance agencies to urgently advise the provincial governments to organise a conference to evaluate the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies.

The provinces were asked to assess the potential of developing compulsory social insurance, voluntary social insurance, household health insurance, and student health insurance in a sustainable way.

With regard to medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance, social security branches were urged to continue to closely monitor health insurance examination and treatment activities of local medical examination and treatment facilities, promptly detect abuse and profiteering of health insurance funds.

The agencies must closely coordinate with the health sector in removing difficulties and obstacles in the lack of drugs and medical supplies, ensuring the interests of patients with health insurance, Son said.

 Delegates at the meeting

The branches must review and detect units and enterprises that delay paying insurance fees and then select the form of inspection and examination suitable for each unit.

Flexible measures should be deployed to ensure maximum recovery of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance debts.

The agencies were told to monthly report to Viet Nam Social Security, Party Committees and local authorities on the social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance debts of local employers.

Unannounced inspections should be made to debtors, especially those with large debts.

The agencies must strictly coordinate in handling individuals and organisations that violate policies and laws on social insurance and health insurance.

Son also asked for further communication and development of participants of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance. In particular, the communication campaigns should promote the benefits of student health insurance and the disadvantages of receiving one-time social insurance.

Representatives from provincial social security branches report at the meeting

In Can Tho City, the settlement for 2021 has not been completed. Moreover, the settlement software has not been implemented, leading to a delay in the settlement of expenses and health insurance premiums in the first and second quarters of 2022.

Can Tho City also faces difficulties in bidding, procurement and payment for drugs for patients with health insurance cards. The shortage of drugs and medical supplies has been reported in some areas and hospitals.

The post-COVID recovery of production and business activities of enterprises still face many difficulties, hindering their payment of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance debts.

Bac Lieu Province’s Social Security is facing difficulties in signing agreements with medical facilities in the districts and towns about providing services to health insurance card holders.

In addition, medical supplies used at medical examination and treatment facilities in Bac Lieu Province have not yet had centralised bidding, so the price of medical supplies is different among medical facilities in the same province.

Meanwhile, at medical facilities in Ca Mau Province, there is still a shortage of drugs and medical equipment, affecting patients' benefits and payment of health insurance premiums.

In Soc Trang Province, a number of Party committees and localities have not paid close attention to directing and coordinating to create conditions for the social insurance agency to carry out communication activities, leading to the low coverage rate of social insurance and health insurance.

The organisation of separate drug bidding at each medical facility requires a lot of human resources to participate in drug bidding, which greatly affects other work of the industry. In addition, some items are not available for bidding, leading to a shortage of drugs, medical equipment and chemicals.

Representatives from provincial social security branches report at the meeting

Currently, in Tra Vinh Province, there are many cases of students of foreign nationalities coming to stay with their grandparents to go to school, but there are no specific instructions on this issue.

Social insurance agencies of provinces propose that Viet Nam Social Security soon amend, supplement and issue directions and guidelines to address such issues.

Training courses to improve the capacity of assessment and bidding for officials, civil servants, public employees and employees at the provincial social insurance agencies are also needed.

In particular, the provinces asked for more human resources for the assessment desk at district social insurance agencies.

Deputy Director of Inspectorate Department Pham Tuan Cuong said at the meeting that it was necessary to strengthen inspections, inter-sectoral inspections, specialised inspections, and irregular inspections at units and enterprises with outstanding debts and signs of abusing social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance funds.

Deputy Director of the Communication Centre Nguyen Thu Huong suggested that social insurance agencies of provinces and cities need to focus on completing assigned targets.

Accordingly, it is necessary to organise a communication campaign focusing on efforts, determination, urgent solutions, good practices, initiatives and experiences in developing participants.

Representatives from departments under Vietnam Social Security speak at the meeting

Localities were urged to continue to review and classify subjects and make a list of people who have not participated in social insurance and health insurance so that the social security agencies could approach them properly.

Policy communication could be combined with charity work by mobilising individuals and organisations to donate health insurance cards and social insurance books to people, especially people in difficult circumstances.

Media agencies could help to propagate social insurance policies through news, articles, columns and reports to orient public opinion, and facilitate the organisation and implementation of effective communication.

Communication through social networks and the grassroots broadcasting system needs to be promoted.

Social security agencies must regularly report to the provincial People's Committee on the development of social insurance and health insurance, especially voluntary social insurance and household health insurance in the area, Huong said./.