Vietnam Social Security Resolute to Be Lean, Modern and Professional Agency

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) recently held the 10th VSS Patriotic Emulation Congress in Hanoi. On this solemn occasion, Secretary of the VSS Party Committee, VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh launched the patriotic emulation movement themed “Solidarity, creativity and determination to build a lean, modern and professional Vietnamese social security industry” for public and insured satisfaction and successfully complete tasks in the 2021-2025 period.

In the 2016 - 2020 period, the Party and the Government closely cared for and directed the renovation and promulgation of new regulations on emulation and commendation. As the new Law on Social Insurance, the amended Law on Health Insurance were enacted and the Central Executive Committee issued Resolution 28-NQ/TW on reform of social security policy, the Party Personnel and Affairs Committee and VSS leaders clearly recognized the importance of emulation and commendation to have appropriate support and guidance to concerned Party bodies, authorities, civil society agencies and units in the social security industry to strengthen management and reform emulation and commendation; launch annual emulation and commendation campaigns and thematic emulation and commendation movements and conduct preliminary and final reviews of emulation and commendation to evaluate results, praise and reward outstanding collectives and individuals.

During this period, based on regulations and policies on emulation and commendation, VSS issued nearly 200 documents guiding emulation and commendation renovations (20 documents in 2016; 55 in 2017; 48 in 2018; 25 in 2019; and 25 in the first six months of 2020). VSS’s emulation and commendation documents are regularly updated, promptly amended and supplemented to strictly comply with new State regulations and in accordance with the sector’s requirements to facilitate its subordinate units to effectively apply emulation and commendation work.

In particular, emulation movements of the social security sector are renovated in content and form; and implemented methodically and scientifically with specific and practical criteria and contents, and stick to assigned tasks. They actually become the driving force for collectives and individuals to strive to successfully complete their assigned tasks.

Accordingly, in the 2016 - 2020 period, VSS responded, devised and organized four major emulation movements launched by the Prime Minister, including "The whole country works together for new rural development”, "The whole country works together for the poor to leave no one behind”, "Vietnamese enterprises integrate and develop” and “VSS staff vie to build workplace culture”. VSS directed its units to build action plans to carry out emulation goals together with fulfilling political tasks.

As a result, all VSS subordinates and local social security agencies worked out plans and completely informed emulation movements to all VSS employees for their right perception and appropriate effort to realize their assigned tasks.

In addition to responding to and organizing four emulation movements launched by the Prime Minister, VSS continued to speed up emulation movements to execute Resolution 21-NQ/TW and launched two phased emulation movements, five annual emulation movements and 10 theme-based emulation movements in line with annual political tasks and urgent tasks needed to be completed.

VSS defined that informal sectors are potential development strategies in 2020. The sector’s emulation movements really leveraged productivity, quality and performance of social security agencies from the central level to provincial and district levels; helped motivate collectives and individuals across the sector to successfully complete annual tasks.

Specifically, VSS achieved these targets: Policyholders of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance increased in excess of the figure assigned by the Prime Minister every year. The number of policyholders of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance reached 70.2 million in 2015 and 86.5 million in 2019.

As of August 31, 2020, policyholders of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance totaled 86.4 million (fulfilling 98.14% of the plan). The number of policyholders of voluntary social insurance increased sharply to 786,173 people by August 2020.

Specially, new policyholders in 2019 were twice the number in the previous 11 years in combination. Nearly 90% of the population are health insurance policyholders, exceeding the coverage target set by the Government.

The payment and settlement of insurance policies and benefits are carried out promptly and lawfully. Benefits of policyholders are increasingly enhanced.

Noting the results of VSS’s emulation movements in the past 5 years, many VSS collectives and individuals were commended and rewarded by the Party, the Government and the Prime Minister. At the Congress, on behalf of the State President, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh awarded the Labor Order to 11 collectives and six individuals with excellent working performance and achievements in 2015-2020. Authorized by the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Chairman of the VSS Management Council Dinh Tien Dung awarded the Emulation Flags of the Government to eight collectives. Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Public Security, presented the Certificates of Merit of the Prime Minister to seven collectives. Secretary of the Party Committee of Central Agencies Son Minh Thang and VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh handed over the Prime Minister's Certificates of Merit to 14 individuals with outstanding performance.

Also on this occasion, VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh launched a patriotic emulation movement for the social security sector in 2020-2025 and agreed to send delegates to the upcoming National Patriotic Emulation Congress.

Huong Thom (Vietnam Business Forum)