'Many localities 'outsource' social insurance and health insurance work to social insurance agencies'

(Baonghean) - That is the sharing of Mr. Le Truong Giang - Director of the Provincial Social Insurance when answering an interview with Nghe An Newspaper about the situation of 5 years of implementation.Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW on strengthening the Party's leadership over Social Insurance (SI) and Health Insurance (HI) work for the period 2012 - 2020.

PV:On November 22, 2012, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW. This is a document specifying important orientations to ensure social security of our Party and State, demonstrating political determination to effectively implement social insurance and health insurance policies. Implementing Resolution 21, propaganda work is identified as one of the key contents. What tasks has the provincial Social Insurance sector carried out, sir?

Mr. Le Truong Giang:Identifying the significance and tasks for the implementation of Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW, over the years, Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance has always proactively coordinated with Departments, branches and sectors to advise and direct District Social Insurance to closely coordinate with relevant departments, branches and sectors to advise local Party committees and authorities to issue programs and plans for implementation.

In particular, realizing the importance of propaganda and dissemination of social insurance and health insurance policies and laws, the Social Insurance sector of Nghe An province has constantly innovated and created both content and form of expression; changed many different approaches, increased the ability to provide information, helping workers and people better understand their rights and obligations regarding participation in social insurance and health insurance, the meaning and role of social insurance and health insurance policies.

People register for medical examination and treatment at Vinh City General Hospital. Photo: Tu Thanh

Specifically, Nghe An Social Insurance has proactively signed coordination programs with the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, the Party Committee of the Enterprise Bloc, the Provincial Labor Federation, Nghe An Newspaper, Nghe An Radio and Television Station, the Department of Information and Communications, the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, the Farmers' Association, the Department of Education and Training, the Provincial Youth Union, the Women's Union, etc.

On the basis of the signed coordination programs, the Social Insurance sector and related departments and sectors develop a plan to implement the coordination propaganda program for each year to mobilize the strength, human resources, and communication skills of the sectors to participate with the motto "each civil servant and public employee of the sectors is a propagandist bringing social insurance and health insurance policies to the people and all workers". Propaganda work is therefore diverse and rich, suitable for each subject, promoting positive effects.

PV:Improving service quality is an important factor to build and foster trust among the people, thereby implementing social insurance and health insurance policies more effectively. After 5 years of implementing Resolution 21-NQ/TW, what progress has the provincial social insurance sector made in this work?

Mr. Le Truong Giang:We always clearly identify that improving service quality must have positive changes from service awareness to technical and professional solutions.

Over the past 5 years, the provincial Social Insurance has regularly focused on reforming administrative procedures, applying information technology to the reception and settlement of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance regimes in accordance with regulations and effectively; paying attention to personnel work, sending civil servants and public employees to study to improve their professional qualifications to meet the increasingly high demands of the industry's tasks, improving the spirit and working attitude according to the 5 standards of civil servants and public employees in the social insurance industry. All aim to build the image of a friendly and responsible social insurance officer.

Graphics: Nam Phong

Notably, the provincial Social Insurance has applied the ISO 9001:2008 quality system to handle work at the provincial Social Insurance and Social Insurance of districts, cities and towns to create uniformity and unity from the province to the district. Since January 2015, Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance has implemented the delivery and receipt of documents via the postal system to reduce travel and transaction time of labor-using units; increasingly simplify the reception process, reduce the time to return results, publicize the set of administrative procedures, shorten from 115 procedures to 28 procedures...

Nghe An is the first unit to pilot the implementation of "Software for managing professional activities of the Vietnam Social Insurance Industry"; effectively deploying the software for transaction of social insurance and health insurance payment records via the Internet for district-level social insurance units and labor-using units, collection agents of wards and communes.

In particular, the industry has deployed the Health Insurance Transaction Portal system with the goal of connecting the Social Insurance agency and Health Insurance medical facilities to provide and look up health insurance card data and appraise health insurance medical costs, contributing to improving the efficiency of health insurance medical fund management...

PV:After 5 years of implementing Resolution 21-NQ/TW, the general goals have basically been implemented and remarkable results have been achieved. However, in reality, there are inevitable shortcomings and limitations. What solutions are there to "overcome difficulties" and promote the completion of the goals and tasks set out in Resolution 21-NQ/TW, sir?

Mr. Le Truong Giang:We need to frankly acknowledge that some localities have not really taken drastic leadership and direction; some localities have even "left it all to chance", considering the implementation of Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW as the responsibility of the Social Insurance agency.

On the other hand, many units and localities have not been really proactive in disseminating and popularizing policies and laws on social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance according to their areas of responsibility; a part of employees and people are not fully aware of social insurance and health insurance policies, and still confuse them with other types of commercial insurance.

The ratio of social insurance and unemployment insurance participants to the labor force is still low, the growth rate of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance participants is slow and uneven among localities in the province. The situation of not participating in social insurance and health insurance according to the law occurs in most localities, but there are no drastic measures to overcome this.

Graphics: Nam Phong

The most pressing issue is the situation of evasion, late payment, and social insurance arrears. Many units owe large amounts of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance for a long time, delaying and not paying social insurance to appropriate capital; the implementation of measures to collect social insurance and health insurance debts still faces many difficulties, including measures to sue units that owe social insurance.

In addition, the awareness and responsibility of some medical facilities are not high, have not created positive changes in the management and use of health insurance funds, the abuse of health insurance funds has not been completely overcome, some medical facilities still abuse high technology and use of drugs. The coordination between the health sector and the social insurance agency in the settlement of health insurance examination and treatment costs still faces many difficulties and problems.

To "overcome difficulties", in the coming time, the provincial Social Insurance sector will continue to promote propaganda and dissemination of laws on social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance so that units, employees and people can clearly see the role and significance of social insurance and health insurance in the social security system.

Along with that, constantly innovate operating methods, promote administrative procedure reform; synchronously deploy solutions to rapidly develop participants according to the Law; strengthen and promote inspection and examination of compliance with laws on social insurance and health insurance to promptly detect and handle, and propose strict handling of violations.

PV:Thank you!

Phuoc Anh(Perform)