The conference served as a platform for enterprises to give their assessments on the reform and IT application as well as talk about advantages and difficulties of the process to propose solutions, contributing to improving the business climate and national competitiveness following the Government’s direction.

According to reports presented at the conference, as of January 1, 2019, the VSS handed over 13.3 million insurance notebooks to labourers, accounting for 99.28 per cent of card holders.

Since the revised social security law took effect in 2016, employers no longer have to save and transfer insurance premium payment history to the insurance notebooks of labourers. Employers now only need to collaborate with social security agencies to hand over insurance books to labourers.

The new process helps enterprises save time and cut down on expenses on personnel who are in charge of updating and saving the insurance notebooks.

In order to create the most favourable conditions for people and businesses, deputy director of Hanoi Social Security Agency Vu Duc Thuat said that in recent years, the agency has actively studied and applied a number of solutions and initiatives in administrative procedures, such as promoting IT in professional activities to create favorable conditions, save costs, and grant benefits to insurance beneficiaries.

The agency has applied the electronic assessment information system to ensure quick and accurate payment of medical examination and treatment costs, strictly control patients who have multiple health check-ups in a day with high costs, multiple X-rays, computed tomography scans, use of medicine and medical supplies.

The agency has also successfully connected with banks in social security, health insurance collection and payment, which shortens time and saves human resources.

Employers and citizens can search and look up the results of documents through the Hanoi City Social Security Portal.

According to deputy director Vu Duc Thuat, the Hanoi Social Security Agency will continue to accompany and support businesses with an aim to minimise time spent on administrative procedures towards the satisfaction of people and businesses.

At the conference, representatives of the VSS and Hanoi Social Security Agency directly discussed with businesses about difficulties and obstacles in the implementation of administrative procedures on the collection of insurance cards, notebooks, settlement of social security and unemployment insurance regimes as well as the implementation of social security policies.

Acting director of the VSS’s Legal Department Nguyen Thi Anh Tho emphasised the motto "Put businesses and people at the centre".

The VSS will listen to feedback from enterprises and local social security agencies as well as conduct field surveys to complete mechanisms, policies and reform professional processes with an aim to provide better services for businesses and employees, she said./.