He made the remarks during a sector-wide online meeting held on November 5.

The conference aimed to review the sector's performance over the first 10 months of this year, particularly focusing on strategies to accelerate and close the gap to meet or exceed targets set by the Prime Minister and the goals outlined by the social insurance sector for this year.

General Director of Viet Nam Social Security Nguyen The Manh chairs the meeting

These efforts are crucial to ensuring the country’s social welfare.

Mạnh said there were several significant outcomes that the sector gained so far this year.

The sector has been proactive and decisive in building and improving policies related to social and health insurance. There has been close coordination with ministries and agencies, ensuring timely and accurate data sharing. Many recommendations of the sector, particularly regarding expanded benefits for participants in the draft laws, has been adopted.

The sector continued to lead the way in digital transformation, including the successful implementation of cashless payments, which had greatly benefited policyholders and service users.

The number of people joining social, health and unemployment insurance has risen compared to the previous year. The number of people withdrawing one-time social insurance payments has also significantly decreased.

The sector continued to resolve and secure the full entitlements for citizens, prioritising quick and convenient administrative reforms.

The sector ensured that financial and fund management were carried out safely, optimising available resources.

Proactive and multifaceted communication efforts have been made to reach the public, the National Assembly and other organisations. The efforts contributed to growing understanding, trust and participation in social insurance policies, he said.

The sector had effectively controlled and optimised the use of the health insurance fund, minimising unnecessary expenses while focusing on ensuring healthcare for patients with serious illnesses and those facing difficult circumstances.

 Participants at the meeting

The sector has continued to uphold strict discipline and improved the responsibility of staff at all levels to fulfil their duties.

Eight key tasks

Building on the achievements, Manh called for focused attention on the following eight tasks during the final stretch of this year.

Agencies were told to review their performance against set targets and plans, ensuring alignment with directives from the sector and local authorities. Stronger collaboration within the sector and with other agencies was essential to address any obstacles promptly.

There should be continued efforts to refine and complete legal documents, establishing a robust foundation for the sector’s future operations.

A concerted effort was required to be made to increase the number of people participating in social, health and unemployment insurance. That included working closely with local administrations and tax authorities to implement effective measures.

The sector must continue to ensure that all citizens receive their full entitlements, with particular attention to contributions and the use of the health insurance fund.

Strict management of financial risks, accounting practices and fund investments must be maintained, in accordance with Government regulations.

Digital initiatives should continue to be strengthened, with a focus on real-time adjustments to meet the evolving needs of the public.

Enhanced communication efforts were needed to highlight the sector’s achievements and benefits, guiding the public in using services and participating in the policies.

The sector must maintain strict discipline and enforce accountability at all levels, with zero tolerance for corruption, wastefulness or violations.

At the meeting, the Chief of Viet Nam Social Security’s Office Dinh Mai Long provided a summary of the sector’s results for the first 10 months of this year.

Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Chair Commissioner of Viet Nam Social Security Board of Commissioners delivers his speech at the meeting

Key indicators showed positive growth, with key metrics surpassing those from the same period last year.

There were 19.365 million people participating in social insurance, an increase of 11.39 per cent year-on-year.

The number of people participating in unemployment insurance reached 15.560 million, an increase of 9.2 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The number of people participating in health insurance reached 93.937 million, an increase of 3.16 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The sector’s total revenue from social, health and unemployment insurance as of October rose by 12.81 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Local coordination

Also at the meeting, Duong Van Hao, Director of the Department of Social Insurance Book and Health Insurance Card urged local social security offices to stay aligned with the Viet Nam Social Security’s directives and focus on submitting proposals to help local authorities assess the implementation of social insurance policies in their areas.

Local social security offices were told to report any difficulties, enabling prompt solutions to ensure effective final-quarter performance.

Tran Dinh Lieu, Deputy Director General stressed that provincial and city-level social security offices must enhance efforts to reduce debt and improve revenue collection in the final months of the year.

That included reviewing tax data and publicly naming large debtors.

The measures were expected to bring positive results, especially for voluntary social insurance, where officials of district-level social security offices had to engage directly with service providers to assess implementation.

Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa called on relevant units to continue actively contributing to the revision of the Law on Health Insurance, coordinating closely with the Ministry of Health to refine the draft law.

 General Director of Viet Nam Social Security Nguyen The Manh delivers his speech to conclude the meeting

He also emphasised the need for rapid processing of health insurance payments to healthcare facilities.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director General Chu Manh Sinh directed local social security offices to quickly complete the synchronisation of participant data with the national population database.

Nguyen Van Cuong, Deputy Chair Commissioner of Viet Nam Social Security Board of Commissioners ordered the sector to complete reports and proposals for the upcoming board meeting, including budget projections for this year healthcare costs.

He also said it need reviewing regulations, concerning the treatment of exceeding healthcare cost budgets to ensure sustainable social welfare.

He commended the sector for successfully rolling out social insurance payments via personal bank accounts.

He recommended that the sector continue expanding the number of banks offering services, enhancing convenience for the public.

Furthermore, he suggested exploring the possibility of developing a social welfare network supported by an intermediary payment system and e-wallets to optimise administrative costs.