Participants at the main conference venue in Hanoi include VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu and heads of units under VSS, whereas participants at venues in localities nationwide were directors and deputy directors of the local social insurance agencies, and heads of certain units.

Addressing the conference, VSS Director General Nguyen The Manh said despite extreme difficulties facing the sector in 2022, with the determination to turn difficulties and challenges into action; closely following the reality; taking full advantages of the leadership of and directions from the Prime Minister, and the participation of party’s committee and people’s committee at all levels, the social insurance sector drastically accelerated the collection of insurance contributions and the increase of insurance participation (all targets set for increased participants surpassed the 2021 figures and met the targets set in the Government’s Resolution No 01/2022/NQ-CP) and reduced social security contribution arrears.

VSS Director General Nguyen The Manh delivers a speech at the conference

Based on the results of the collection of insurance premium and the increase of social insurance and health insurance participation, the conference participants discussed, withdrew lessons of experience and proposed solutions to effectively realise targets and tasks set for the sector in 2023, including: increase insurance participants; increase premium contributions and reduce social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance arrears.

“In 20202, such activities as the participation of local party’s committee and government in the increase of insurance participants; or the support from donors to give social insurance books and health insurance cards to the impoverished people, among others have produced positive results. Therefore, it is crucial to reach consensus on policies and actions to drastically fulfill the sector’s political targets and tasks,” said the Director General.

Overcome challenges, accomplish tasks

Speaking of the premium collection and the increased participation over the past time, Head of the VSS’ Department of Contribution Collection – Insurance Book and Card Duong Van said in 2022, businesses’ decreased orders largely affected production and business activities, and employment and income of both the employers and employees. On the other hand, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, life remained hard for many people, which seriously impacted the collection of insurance premium and the increase of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants.  Under such circumstances, the social insurance sector’s leadership timely formulated appropriate direction and governance scenarios, acknowledging the actual production and business operations of enterprises, providing further training for the staff involved in mobilising potential insurance participants, offering flexible payment options for insurance contributions, maintaining the organisation of virtual conferences to evaluate the work, share experience and commend individuals and units that had done well with the collection of insurance premium and the increase of social and health insurance participants.

Head of VSS’ Department of Contribution Collection – Insurance Book and Card Duong Van Hao speaks at the event

Social insurance agencies in localities nationwide followed and seriously abided by directions and instructions from VSS; actively advised local party’s committee and people’s committee, closely worked with sectors in the implementation of social insurance, and health insurance policies; organised conferences to disseminate and promote social and health insurance policies; and conducted specialised inspections to push for the collection of insurance premium and the increase of participants.

In 2023, the sector continues synchronously working out flexible and effective solutions right from the early days. It is reported that by the end of January, there have been 17.3 million participants; equal to 37.4 per cent of the total working-age population; up 648,000 year-on-year, in which more than 15.8 million joined the compulsory social insurance scheme; 1.4 million joined the voluntary social insurance scheme; up 4.2 per cent and 0.4 per cent over the same period previous year. Over 88.9 million participants joined the health insurance scheme, a rise of 5.6 per cent year-on-year.

VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu takes the floor

To effectively promote the collection of insurance premium and increased participation in 2023, VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu requested competent units to quickly complete draft guiding documents, and soon advise VSS leaders to sign and promulgate the documents, creating synchronous and consistent implementation in localities. Currently, it is necessary to provide further professional training to improve the quality of staff involving in the collection of insurance premium and expansion of insurance participation.

He called for social insurance agencies in cities and provinces to continue promoting the role of the local Steering Committee for the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies and increase collaboration with relevant sectors and departments.

“To that end, the leader of social insurance agency is of significance and premise to improve the quality of advices given to the local party’s committee and people’s committee as well as quality of collaboration with sectors and departments,” said VSS Deputy Director General Tran Dinh Lieu.

“Solidarity - Discipline - Flexibility - Creativeness - Professionalism – Effectiveness”

VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh reiterated that, with the action guidelines themed “Solidarity - Discipline - Flexibility - Creativeness - Professionalism – Effectiveness”, the whole sector will make further efforts, maximising all available resources and advantages to accomplish targets and tasks set for 2023. He urged social insurance agencies in localities to quickly propose solutions to untie obstacles to effectively implement activities in line with directions and instructions from VSS.

On February 7, 2022, VSS promulgated Official Dispatch No 301/BHXH-TST to temporarily set targets for the collection of insurance premium and the increase of insurance participants nationwide in 2023, in which the number of compulsory social insurance participants increases 892,000; the number of voluntary social insurance participants increases 314,000; and the number of health insurance participants increases 1.978 million as compared to 2022.

Municipal and provincial social insurance agencies join the virtual conference

To fulfill targets, VSS urged municipal and provincial social insurance agencies to closely follow VSS directions to formulate their own implementation solutions, which focuses on:

First, to proactively recommend local party committee and people’s committee to include the social insurance, health insurance and unemployment coverage targets in the Resolution of the local People’s Council; concurrently to set specific targets for the expanded participation at district- and commune –levels.

Second, to closely coordinate with the tax body; Department of Planning and Investment and relevant sectors to learn about the operation of businesses, the use of labour, wage payment, etc. to have appropriate instructions, examination and inspection to ask every business with employees to have workers’ social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance.

Third, to review, assess and expand the network of insurance premium collection and collection staff; actively provide further professional training for the staff and organise customers’ conference to mobilise potential insurance participants; and regularly inspect operations of the collection staff to make sure they abide by procedures and regulations. Each collecting unit should be assigned with specific target regarding increased participants.

Fourth, to require head of units and staff directly involved in insurance premium collection to urge businesses with employees to fully pay monthly insurance premium and the premium delayed from previous months, and to push for the accomplishment of the set targets.

Fifth, to flexibly organise specialised inspections targeting enterprises that have not registered to pay or failed to fully pay social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance premium; enterprises that delay payment of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance premiums for three months or more; resolutely penalise violations; promptly compile dossiers, requesting for prosecution per Article 216, 2015 Penal Code, against enterprises that deliberately evade or delay payment of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance premium.

Sixth, to closely work with competent authorities to review and compile list of health insurance participants to ensure that all people from the near-poor households, and all pupils and students join the health insurance scheme; and work with financial authorities at all levels to recommend the local People’s Committee to partly support the insurance contributions supposed to be paid by those from households engaged in agricultural, forestry, fishery and salt production but with medium living standards./.