As one of the areas severely affected by Tropical Storm No. 3 (Yagi), Hai Phong Social Security Office currently actively implements solutions to mitigate the damage and focuses on ensuring the social and health insurance benefits for local residents. Bui Minh Duc, Director of the Hai Phong Social Security Office, said that he had directed district Social Security Offices to urgently implement measures to ensure the rights of social and health insurance participants. "The district Social Security Offices proactively reported and consulted with local authorities to deploy the directives at the local level and flexibly carry out the industry’s tasks. Residents and health insurance patients are ensured to fully and promptly access their SI and HI benefits conveniently," Mr. Duc emphasized.

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At the same time, the Medical Review Department and district Social Security Offices are required to closely coordinate with healthcare facilities and relevant agencies to ensure sufficient medications and medical equipment to serve HI patients. Officials are assigned to immediately address issues related to HI medical examination and treatment procedures, such as HI cards and referral documents, to ensure that all HI patients receive timely medical examination and treatment. In case of power cut or internet access denied to update patient information on the system, the sector directly processes (recording in files and books, and later updating on the system once the network is restored under regulation) will be applied. Medical examination and treatment  for critically ill, emergency patients, or those injured or affected by storm and flood conditions is priotized.

Specifically, the Finance – Planning division is responsible for providing full and timely advance payments of HI medical examination and treatment funds to health examination and treatment facilities, ensure uninterrupted HI medical examination and treatment, and adequate HI examination and treatment fund to serve HI patients; The Planning and Finance Division coordinates with the Office and district Social Security Offices to immediately repair and address any damages caused by Tropical Storm No. 3 at office buildings, ensuring the office continued operations.

Thai Nguyen Social Security Office deploys solutions to ensure the continuous and effective tasks deployment of Social Security Offices in the province. Accordingly, the task implementation group consisting of leaders, officials, and employees is on duty 24/7 at the headquarters of the provincial Social Security Office and at eight district and city Social Security Offices during the storm, proactively deploy and respond to the unusual developments of the storm and floods to protect the agency’s assets.

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Lo Thi Hoan, Director of  Thai Nguyen Social Security Office stated: “As of September 9, no damage on property, records, or documents has been reported”. Earlier most records, documents, assets, and tools were transferred to the second floor or placed in elevated locations to ensure fire and explosion safety. The Social Security Office continues to serve organizations and individuals during and after the storm and flood. So far, the office has ensured that pension payment has been transferred to the bank accounts of 38,274 beneficiaries, with a total amount of 245.4 billion VND.”

Tropical Storm No. 3 and the subsequent flooding have caused significant damage in the northern provinces, particularly in mountainous areas. In Lao Cai, the provincial Social Security Office is urgently addressing the damages while striving to maintain regular operations. Duong Minh Tan, Director of Lao Cai Social Security Office reported that the province social security office had instructed healthcare facilities in Bao Yen and Si Ma Cai districts to manually record medical examination and treatment data into logbooks due to be unable to access health insurance cards and cross-reference database, which affected the health insurance examination and treatment data. Once the situation stabilizes, it is proposed to support data transmission and medical examination and treatment payment for these units.

Alongside the efforts of the Party committees, authorities, and political-social organizations, the Social Security Offices of the northern mountainous provinces have continuously strived to ensure that the people’s social and health insurance benefit premiums are timely and adequately paid. Despite the difficulties due to storms and floods, the the north province Social Security Offices closely coordinated with healthcare facilities to quickly pay benefits to health insurance participants, and ensure that residents can access medical services and receive maximum support especially under emergency. Flexible support measures, such as extending the health insurance card validity, adjusting payment methods, facilitating medical examination and treatment, and supporting administrative procedures for medical referrals, contributed to ensuring smooth health insurance work implementation and alleviating difficulties for residents in flood-affected areas.

As one of the areas severely affected by Tropical Storm Yagi, Cao Bang province Social Security Office currently actively coordinated with the health sector and health facilities across the province to ensure medical treatment for patients. It aims to help residents and patients fully enjoy their social and health insurance benefits quickly. Ngo Van Chien, Director of Cao Bang province Social Security Office ensure that residents' rights are not interrupted or affected by the floods, the office has been closely coordinating with the Department of Health and medical examination and treatment facilities to facilitate the smoothest process for medical treatment and cost reimbursement. At the same time, flexible measures are applied to carry out professional tasks in line with the actual conditions.

Also heavily affected by Tropical Storm Yagi, Lao Cai province Social Security Office currently works with the relevant authorities and local residents to focus all resources on urgently recovering from the storm damage. The office has fully advanced funds to health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities. Additionally, staff who are assigned to address issues related to medical procedures for patients at healthcare facilities promptly, such as health insurance cards and referral documents, and ensure all patients to receive timely medical care.

During the days of Tropical Storm No. 3 sweep through the northern mountainous provinces, local Social Security Offices in the affected areas quickly implemented various solutions to ensure that residents' social and health insurance rights amidst the destructive storms and floods. Despite the challenges, they closely coordinated with the health industry, flexibly extended health insurance card validity, adjusted payment methods, and simplified procedures to prevent interruption in residents' access to medical services. In isolated areas without electricity or internet, Social Security Offices continued to manually update data, ensure that the rights of health insurance participants were addressed promptly and accurately. Meanwhile, health stations in deeply flooded areas resiliently evacuated equipment and promptly receive patients. The tireless efforts of the social insurance office contributed to maintaining medical examination and treatment benefits for residents in flood-affected areas, working hand-in-hand with the community to overcome the disaster.