Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam speaks at a meeting reviewing five years of implementation of Party Resolution 15-NQ/TW, which focuses on social welfare and other similar policies between 2012 and 2020 on December 21. — Photo tuoitrethudo.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Implementing social welfare needs the involvement of the community and businesses so as to contribute to social stability, socio-economic development and national security, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said on December 21.

He made the statement at a meeting reviewing five years of implementation of Party Resolution 15-NQ/TW, which focuses on social welfare and other similar policies between 2012 and 2020.

The meeting, chaired by the deputy prime minister who is head of the Steering Committee on Resolution Implementation, also discussed tasks for next year. 

A report was presented showing that after five years of implementation, preferential policies for people who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s liberation and social welfare policies had been put in place.

Ministries, sectors and localities have co-operated to complete legal documents and realise policies encouraging social consensus and equality.

For the last five years, the Government has carried out several measures to reduce hunger and poverty. The number of poor households has dramatically decreased and people’s material and spiritual lives have improved.

The number of people signing up for social insurance reached 13.8 million this year, accounting for 25.76 per cent of the work force. Meanwhile, the percentage of people receiving medical insurance increased to 85.59 per cent in 2017, from 59.1 per cent in 2012. The percentage exceeded the resolution’s target.

The percentage of rural people with access to clean water met the requirement set out in the resolution.

By the end this year, 2.78 million people, accounting for 3 per cent of the population, will have been offered monthly financial assistance in cash.

Notably, the assistance was adjusted to match the speed of socio-economic development, the report said.

Thousands of households benefited from the housing support programme.

In terms of schooling, universal education from kindergarten to secondary level was fulfilled ahead of schedule, while the system of vocational training was improved in order to meet the real demands of the labour market and international integration.

The report also said that despite those achievements, the implementation still has shortcomings, including unpractical policies, slow progress of empowerment to localities, shortages of human resources and capital, lax and insufficient supervision and inspection, and light sanctions on violations.

Speaking at the meeting, deputy PM Đam acknowledged the achievements gained over the last year.

“Ministries, sectors and localities have implemented the gratitude activities to families of revolutionary contributors as well as relief for people in natural disaster-prone areas nationwide,” Đam said.

“These were outstanding achievements. Social welfare-related activities in the coming years need the involvement of the community and businesses to contribute to social stability and consensus for socio-economic development and national security,” he told the meeting.

The deputy PM said that ministries, sectors and local authorities need to focus on economic development through increasing labour productivity, setting up more enterprises, and creating more jobs.

Additionally, policies on poverty reduction and social subsidies should be reviewed and simplified, he said.

Relating to the improvement of healthcare services, Đam asked the Ministry of Health and relevant offices to continuously implement the Party’s resolution on improving people’s healthcare services, especially for the disadvantaged and elderly, as well as expanding clinics.

Education and training are needed to mobilise all sectors’ resources and focus on supporting primary education in ethnic minority and poor regions.

In terms of vocational training work, next year, localities must review the systems, take measures to develop training for rural workers as well as build schools and houses in industrial zones, he said.

The deputy PM also asked the ministries of Science and Technology; Labour, War Invalid and Social Affairs; and Information and Communications to develop a payable social card which can replace the current ID cards.

This would be a key information technology product which must be designed and owned by Vietnamese businesses, he said. — VNS