The northern province of Ninh Binh is one of the three leading localities with strong health insurance coverage for the elderly across the nation with 100% of those between 75 to 80 years of age receiving financial assistance to buy health insurance cards, as released at a conference in the province on March 9.

According to figures reported at the event, as many as 630,000 locals, including all households on the verge of poverty, have been covered by social and health insurance thus far.
The province’s social insurance system spends around 185 billion VND (nearly 8.7 million USD) per year on social insurance benefits.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Finance and General Director of Vietnam Social Insurance Nguyen Thi Minh asked the provincial Social Insurance Department to work towards bringing additional benefits to labourers and locals in general, contributing to ensuring social security and realising the province’s target of over 85 percent of its workforce covered by social insurance by 2020.

Le Hung Son, the department’s Director, said the sector promotes the application of information technology in managing the collection and payment of insurance premiums while simplifying related procedures and focusing on improving the professional skills of personnel in the field.

It also abides by the State’s policies of social insurance in order to create equal rights for labourers in all economic areas, he added.

On the occasion, two local organisations were presented with the third-class Labour Order and the Prime Minister’s certificate of merit, and 18 individuals received the insignia “For the Cause of Social Insurance” by the Government in recognition of their important contributions to the locality’s social and health insurance coverage effort.-VNA