At the meeting, delegates discussed and reviewed results gained in implementing policies on social insurance, health insurance and voluntary social insurance in Cao Bang province over recent years, particularly the increase in the number of participants due to oral communication or direct dialogues.

According to delegates, Cao Bang is a mountainous border province with ethnic minorities accounting for the highest proportion in the country (over 95.5 percent of the province’s population). Therefore, people's awareness of laws in general and of regulations relating to social and health insurance in particular remains limited, so communication should be designed and implemented in line with their specific conditions and the province’s cultural, economic and social conditions.   

As an agency implementing social and health insurance policies, a representative from the province’s Social Security said each year, apart from coordinating with related agencies to implement central and provincial resolutions, directives, programmes and plans, the province’s Social Security actively coordinated with the Commission of Information and Education at all levels in implementing communication activities, including promoting oral communication. At present,    the provincial Social Security has signed contracts with local departments, sectors and organisations to hold meetings to directly provide local people with information relating to policies on social, health insurance and voluntary social insurance at villages, hamlets, agencies and local people’s houses, targeting farmers, women, young people, workers, pupils, students and traders. Appropriate communication methods and contents are designed for each group of targets, thus helping to bring positive results.

Thanks to effective communication tasks and active involvement of relevant departments, sectors, agencies and organisations, the number of social and health insurance participants keeps increasing. In 2010, there were 32,980 participants of social insurance in the province. The figure now stands at 44,511. The rate of health insurance coverage in the province rose to 98 per cent, surpassing the target set by the Government. Particularly, the number of voluntary social insurance participants has increased rapidly, from 142 participants in 2010 to 7,122 at present (up 6,980). Additionally, the benefits of social and health insurance participants are always ensured in line with regulations.

On that basis, delegates at the meeting suggested that in the future, relevant departments, agencies and organisations in Cao Bang province should continue promoting cooperation in disseminating information about social, health insurance and voluntary social insurance policies, focusing on increasing oral communication in residential areas and businesses. This is considered an appropriate communication method for local people and workers as it creates conditions for direct discussions to tackle difficulties and obstacles in implementing the policies.

Communication contents should be improved to make them short and understandable with specific and attractive examples for each group of targets. 

Communication staff need to continue improving their professional knowledge and skills and updating social opinions. They also pointed to the need to strengthen inspection, supervision and assessment of communication tasks about social and health insurance to continue improving communication quality and efficiency./.