Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (third, left) and other officials at the teleconference of the Vietnam Social Security in Hanoi on February 15 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has basically achieved thetarget of health insurance for all, but it still needs to further expand thecoverage of social insurance, according to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The Government leader made the request at ateleconference held by the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) in Hanoi on February15 that reviewed the 25-year implementation of social and health insurancepolicies.
Highlighting the VSS’s role as the main pillarin the social security system over the last 25 years, he noted that while Vietnamis still a lower-middle-income country with per capita income of over 2,800 USDin 2019, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people has surpassed 73.6,which is high compared to the world’s average, and the multidimensionalhousehold poverty rate has been brought down to under 4 percent.
As of the end of 2019, social insurance hadcovered nearly 16 million people, equivalent to 32.3 percent of the workforce,and health insurance, nearly 86 million people or 90 percent of the country’spopulation.
Given this, Vietnam has basically achieved thetarget of health insurance for all ahead of schedule, the PM said, adding that ittook some developed nations 40 – 80 years to attain universal health insurancecoverage.
Caring for people’s life, health and prosperityis the responsibility of the Party and State, and it is necessary to have asocial security system that covers all people and matches internationalstandards. To that end, social insurance coverage must be expanded, heemphasised.
He pointed out that as only one-third oflabourers nationwide have taken part in social insurance, the target is stillfar away. Stronger efforts are needed to raise the social insurance coverage to35 percent in 2021 and 45 percent in 2025 as targeted in Resolution 28 of theParty Central Committee.
At the meeting, PM Phuc requested regularoverhauling of social and health insurance policies and laws in line withinternational practices, stronger administrative procedure reforms, completionof the national database on insurance, better connection and informationsharing among ministries and sectors, and processing of administrativeprocedures on the National E-Document Exchange Platform to help build ane-Government./.
VNA
