The move aims to respond to the call of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, encouraging every citizen to donate to help the Government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minh said the donation was collected from the daily salary of every official and employee of the sector.

It proved the responsibility and desire of the sector’s officials and employees to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic together with the Party and the army, she said.

Minh also said that the insurance sector had taken a number of measures in an attempt to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic, especially, coordinating with relevant agencies for medical examination and treatment for health insurance card holders and allowed businesses affected by COVID-19 to temporarily suspend payments for retirement and survivorship funds for a maximum period of 12 months.

The agency had ordered all units to work with the health department of provinces and cities to prepare enough medicine as well as create favourable conditions for patients with health insurance cards to receive prompt examination and treatment if they showed any suspected signs of COVID-19, she said.

Minh said the policy of health insurance of the Party and the State was believed to be optimal while a pandemic occurred. It provided great support for the prevention and control of COVID-19.

Additionally, the agency also paid for people who lost their jobs due to the impacts of COVID-19 and people who had to leave their work for quarantine as regulations.

The agency had strengthened online transactions or transactions via post to minimise the spread of virus.

President of the Fatherland Front Tran Thanh Man had received the donation from the agency.

Man said the Fatherland Front was thankful for the noble gesture and the help of the insurance sector.

He also highly appreciated the practical and effective actions of the sector in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

Man added that the fund for prevention and control of COVID-19 had received total donations of nearly VND340 billion so far. Besides, the messaging service to call people make donations for the fund also received nearly VND62 billion six days after it launched.

It proved the solidarity of Vietnamese people in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

It was a great motivation for the whole Party, the whole army and the whole people to battle the pandemic, he said.

He said that all the donations would be transferred to the Ministry of Health to purchase equipment to serve infected cases and quarantine people nationwide./