An elderly person receives his pension in Ba Đình District in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs estimates that reducing the age for receiving social pensions from 80 to 75 years old will help expand the eligible beneficiaries by about 800,000 elderly people who will receive benefits.

According to the ministry, after 12 years of implementing the Law on the Elderly, ministries, sectors, and localities have achieved significant results. Up to now, the legal framework for the implementation of the Elderly Law has been issued.

However, the work for the elderly in localities still faces difficulties and limitations. Regular health check-ups and health records for the elderly in some areas are only conducted for those over 80 years old.

Those from 60 to 79 years old are still ineligible due to financial shortages.

The social pension level for the elderly is still low compared to the current cost of living. Many people cannot wait until they are 80 to receive social pensions.

In addition, the community-based elderly care model has not been adequately implemented by localities.

Pension policies for the elderly who retired before 1995 are not reasonable, commonly ranging from VNĐ3.2 million to 4.8 million, which is lower than those holding the same positions who retired after 1995, it said.

The ministry said that in the upcoming period, it was necessary to address issues related to the elderly in the context of population ageing, in line with the national socio-economic development strategy.

Việt Nam is currently experiencing a golden population structure while undergoing the process of population ageing. The population group aged 60 and above is growing rapidly, from 11.9 per cent in 2019 to 13.9 per cent in 2023.

Currently, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people born in 2023 is 73.7 years, with an average life expectancy of 71.1 years for males and 76.5 years for females. Compared to countries in the Southeast Asian region, Việt Nam's average life expectancy is lower than that of Singapore (83 years), Brunei (78 years), and Thailand (76 years).

In the draft amended Social Insurance Law submitted to the National Assembly, the Government has proposed that Vietnamese citizens aged 75 and more without pensions, monthly social insurance benefits, and other monthly social allowances will receive social pension benefits provided by the State budget.

The monthly pension benefit level determined by the Government is in line with the socio-economic development conditions and the State budget's capabilities at each period. The Government will report to the National Assembly to decide on gradually adjusting the age for receiving social pension according to the State budget's capabilities at each period.

According to Trương Xuân Cừ, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Elderly Association, the draft amendment of the Social Insurance Law to reduce the age for receiving social pensions from 80 to 75 has met the expectations of the elderly.

In addition, the association has also proposed reducing the age of receiving financial support to the elderly in poor households, those without caregivers, or near-poor elderly living in areas of ethnic minority communities and extremely difficult mountainous regions from 75 to 70 years old. – VNS