VSS general director Nguyễn Thế Mạnh (left) receives the award in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — Photo baohiemxahoi.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) recently won a recognition award from the ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) for sustainable innovation in expanding voluntary social insurance coverage.

The awards were presented to ASEAN social security agencies at the 37th Boarding Meeting of the ASSA held as a teleconference on Wednesday.

According to the VSS, the COVID-19 pandemic has risked increasing social security debts and reduced the number of health insurance and social security participants. The pandemic has also put pressure on work to expand voluntary and compulsory social insurance coverage.

The health insurance and social insurance debt ratio as of December 2019 was 3 per cent with more than VNĐ11.3 trillion (US$491 million) of debt. The debt ratio increased to 5.3 per cent in November this year.

Social insurance debt until the end of this year is expected to be controlled at 4 per cent.

Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, the VSS has made efforts to expand voluntary social insurance coverage.

The number of voluntary social security participants jumped from 573,000 in December last year to 970,000 in November this year.

About 1.1 million people are set to join a voluntary social security scheme by the end of 2020, according to the VSS’s target.

Under the impact of COVID-19, the VSS covered unemployment insurance for more than 1 million people in the first 11 months of this year, up 24 per cent compared to the figure of the same period last year.

Speaking at the 37th Board Meeting of ASSA on Wednesday, VSS general director Nguyễn Thế Mạnh said the ASSA members had been unable to meet in person over the past year but the social security agencies have overcome obstacles to maintain co-operation activities.

The VSS has been engaging in digital transformation and applied technology in services towards building the Vietnamese e-Government, he said.

The launching of mobile-based digital social security platform VssID in November has enabled people to look up insurance information and improved the quality of social security services in Việt Nam towards friendliness, transparency and putting the people at the centre of services.

“The VSS is willing to share experience and hold consultations with ASSA members about solutions to support and protect people in this difficult time,” he said.

He urged the ASSA member organisations to strengthen co-operation and support the ASSA President in the next term towards “building a social security community of consensus and development for the benefits of the people, regional stability and prosperity”.

VSS became a member of ASSA in September 1998 and is the only official Vietnamese representative at the regional social security forum

ASSA’s membership has helped Việt Nam access international knowledge and experience to improve and develop the social insurance policy implementation system towards professionalism, modernity, efficiency and international integration. — VNS