National Assembly delegates from Nghe An delegation proposed that the interface of essential public services should be friendly and easy to use to support the elderly.

Speaking at the discussion on the draft Law on Digital Transformation, delegate Thai Thi An Chung - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Deputy Head of the Delegation of National Assembly Deputies of Nghe An province raised the issue of digital transformation policy for the elderly, saying that the draft Law on Digital Transformation does not have specific regulations on this group of subjects.

She cited the draft law as stipulating that the State gives priority and support to ensure access to online public services for people with disabilities, the elderly, children, people in remote areas, etc. However, in the following articles, especially in the Chapter on digital society, there is a complete lack of specific regulations for the elderly.

According to the delegates, reality shows that the elderly are the group that faces the most difficulties in the digital transformation process. From operating devices, accessing public services to information security are all barriers. Even receiving pensions via ATM cards or registering for social security support using VNeID has made many elderly people confused.

From there, delegates suggested maintaining traditional transaction channels in parallel with online channels; at the same time, public service centers need to arrange staff to support and provide direct guidance to the elderly. In addition, essential public services such as medical examination and treatment, social insurance, retirement, and subsidies need to have a friendly interface, easy to read, easy to operate, even supplemented with voice instructions or prominent symbols.

In particular, according to the delegate of Nghe An, the law needs to have a separate provision on supporting the elderly in digital transformation, to ensure equal and substantive access for this group of people in the digital society.

In addition, she also suggested that regulations on the National Digital Architecture Framework need to be reviewed and streamlined to ensure clarity and feasibility; and regulations on transitional provisions should be added to ensure unified, economical and effective digital transformation implementation.

Also related to this law, Mr. Hoang Minh Hieu - Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Law and Justice, delegate of Nghe An delegation expressed his agreement with many delegates' opinions but said that it is necessary to look at the issue in terms of the overall legal framework.

According to him, digital transformation is currently identified as one of the focuses of the country's socio-economic development in the coming time, so the development of laws must be accompanied by clear, non-overlapping institutional designs.

Because our country has many related laws such as the Law on Electronic Transactions, the Law on Cyber ​​Security, and soon there will be the Law on Digital Government, the Law on Artificial Intelligence (AI)... If not clearly defined, the scope of regulation between the laws will overlap, even conflict.

From there, he suggested that the Government needs to have an overall orientation and framework for the legal system in the digital field, clearly defining each law regulating a specific scope and function, to create a solid institutional foundation for the national digital transformation process.

Regarding the goal of providing digital services to citizens, the delegate from Nghe An suggested changing the approach: Digital services must be good enough and convenient enough for people to voluntarily switch; at the same time, there must be a support mechanism for vulnerable groups and the elderly.

Regarding infrastructure and digital platforms, he emphasized the need for regulations on shared platforms to avoid each agency and unit developing its own software, causing fragmentation and waste. For fundamental areas, it is necessary to unify the construction of a common system, while data management and exploitation can be decentralized to ensure flexibility.

In conclusion, he expressed the view that, if necessary, the draft Law on Digital Transformation should be continued to be completed for submission in the next term, ensuring that the law, when issued, is feasible and stable in the long term.

Concluding the group discussion session, Comrade Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation said that the Party's policies and orientations on digital transformation are increasingly defined more clearly and comprehensively. This is a particularly important field that needs to be concretized soon with a unified legal framework to create a basis for implementation.

However, delegates expressed concerns about the synchronization and continuity of the national digital infrastructure, especially when there are currently many network operators and large corporations participating in providing infrastructure and services. The problem is that there must be a common platform, capable of connecting, sharing data and being compatible throughout the system, avoiding duplicate investment and wasting resources.

The Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee also raised the issue that previously implemented projects and systems need to be inherited, upgraded and effectively integrated, instead of being completely renewed. This not only ensures savings, but also contributes to creating connectivity and consistency in the operation of the two-level local government.

Thereby, the Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province requested that the drafting agency continue to listen to and absorb comments to perfect this law of special importance.