Dialogue on social, health insurance policies with Japanese firms

VSS Deputy Director Dao Viet Anh speaks at the event  (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, VSS Deputy Director Dao Viet Anh said the event is expected to create consensus and cohesion, and mutual understanding and support between the VSS and the Japanese enterprises investing in Vietnam, in implementing policies on social and health insurance, as well as in ensuring rights and social security for the employees.

Regarding Japan’s cooperation orientation in the coming time, Sasaki Shohei, First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, suggested the VSS clearly elaborate policies and regulations on health and social insurance to Japanese businesses.

Delegates pointed out difficulties and obstacles in the implementation of the policies and regulations on social and health insurance, stressing that it is necessary to accelerate administrative reform in this field.

According to the VSS, relevant comments will be collected to serve to the amendment and completion of its internal procedures, thus creating the best conditions for foreign-invested enterprises in general and Japanese enterprises in particular.

The conference is also part of the steps to exchange and update information, and prepare a roadmap for negotiating and signing a bilateral agreement on social insurance between the Vietnamese and Japanese governments.

According to Anh, about 87.5 million people, or 91% of the population, have been covered by health insurance so far. Meanwhile, the number of those covered by social insurance has been reached 17.2 million, equivalent to 33% of the labour force.

The VSS has so far served over 2,100 Japanese businesses in Vietnam, with nearly 525,000 employees participating in social insurance, including more than 522.000 Vietnamese employees and 2,100 foreign ones. Social insurance revenue from Japanese FDI enterprises accounts for 12.9% of the total revenue from foreign invested enterprises operating in Vietnam.

In the first eight months of 2022, about 228,976 employees working at FDI enterprises nationwide received medical examination and treatment at a total cost of 58.9 billion VND (2.46 million USD) paid by the health insurance fund, including 7.3 billion VND for over 37,000 employees from Japanese FDI firms./.

VNA