Attending and working with the delegation in Son La were comrade Dang Ngoc Hau, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and leaders of the provincial Social Insurance agency; representatives from several district-level Social Insurance offices and relevant departments, agencies, and organizations. Participating in the oversight delegation were Mr. Dao Viet Anh, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Insurance, along with leaders from some units under Vietnam Social Insurance and representatives from the Labor Utilization Office of VCCI, and the Provincial Enterprise Association of Son La.

Overview of the working session with the People's Committee of Son La Province

According to reports, Son La Province, a northern mountainous province, possesses favorable conditions for tourism development based on its natural resources, culture, and cuisine. However, the province also faces challenges such as unstable economic growth, inadequate infrastructure, and limitations in the quality of human resources. Recently, with the involvement of the Party Committee, government authorities, and close coordination among local departments and agencies, Son La Province has developed and implemented numerous programs, action plans, timelines, and specific assignments to carry out social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies tailored to the specific conditions of each sector, field, and locality. This effort has helped the province fulfill its assigned political tasks.

During the working session, members of the oversight delegation requested clarification from the province on several issues including the development status of social insurance participants, particularly voluntary social insurance participants in the province showing a declining trend in recent years; collection efforts and the status of outstanding debts in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance; discrepancies in managing the health insurance fund at healthcare facilities accepting health insurance; handling and disbursement of social insurance and unemployment insurance benefits; the status of one-time social insurance benefits within the province; establishment, staffing, and effectiveness of Steering Committees at district and commune levels to implement social insurance and health insurance policies.

Based on unified content from the provincial social insurance authorities and reports from selected healthcare facilities and businesses within the province, the oversight delegation exchanged views to clarify remaining issues in implementation. These included low participation rates in social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance compared to national averages; trends in increasing medical visits and associated costs; issues related to one-time social insurance benefits; expanding awareness of eligible participants; and labor management. Consequently, the delegation made proposals and recommendations for Son La Province to effectively implement social security policies in the near future.

Meeting with the Provincial Social Insurance Agency on June 4th, 2024

On behalf of the oversight delegation, Mr. Hoang Quang Phong highly praised the attention and guidance from the leadership of Son La Province in implementing social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies. He acknowledged the province's achievements in this area while also pointing out certain shortcomings. He made recommendations to the Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee of Son La Province to direct and vigorously implement more effective solutions than the current ones, ensuring successful implementation of the targets and objectives set forth in Resolutions No. 28-NQ/TW and No. 20-NQ/TW.

The delegation also commended the candid and responsible remarks of the attending delegates, which provided the delegation with an overview and allowed them to grasp the practical challenges and obstacles.