(VOVworld) – Ensuring social security is an essential requirement and condition for national stability and development. Although 2014 saw various difficulties, the Vietnamese government has effectively implemented social security policies to guarantee the social rights of its people. VOV reviews social security achievements in 2014.

Social insurance offers free healthcare for the elderly

In 2014 Vietnam recorded a rising employment rate, fewer poor households, more people with social insurance, and growing allowances for social contributors, pensioners, and low-income families.

Impressive numbers

In 2014 more than 1.6 million people found jobs, an increase of 3.7% against 2013. More than 105,000 people were contracted to work overseas, 20% higher than the yearly target. Localities and sectors effectively carried out poverty reduction programs and policies. The State budget allocated more than 600 million USD to buy health insurance for poor and near-poor people and students, ethnic people, and children under 6 years old. The government applied incentive policies on housing, production land, and clean water for ethnic minority groups and provided 500 million USD of incentive credit for hundreds of thousands of poor households. The national poverty rate fell from 7.8% in 2013 to 6% in 2014.

The decision to increase salaries in a period of economic difficulty reflected the effort of the National Assembly and government to support social contributors, retired people, and low-income families. Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said:“The government spent 550 million USD to increase salaries for low-income public employees and social contributors. It’s a humanitarian decision to temporarily ease salary restraints. Due to economic difficulties and budget conditions, we’ll gradually reach our goal of salaries that can afford the bare necessities.”

In 2014 Vietnam increased investment in upgrading and building hospitals and expanding marine healthcare, and encouraged the private healthcare sector. More than 11.5 million people have social insurance and 72% of the population has health insurance. Bui Sy Loi, Deputy Head of the NA’s Committee for Social Affairs, said: “The government effectively resolved social policies last year. 18% of the budget was allocated to social welfare and security. We have implemented incentives for social contributors.”

Favorable conditions for 2015

Vietnam set targets for 2015 to reduce the poverty rate between 1.7% - 2%, generate 1.6 million jobs, and keep the unemployment rate in urban area under 4%.  The government will continue to focus resources on social security, vocational training, job generation, and sustainable poverty reduction in ethnic and remote areas.  Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said: “We’ll offer practical assistance for ethnic communities to raise incomes and escape poverty by planting forests, raising animals, and diversifying crops. We’ll improve the implementation of current policies on land for production and housing, clean water, healthcare, education, agro-forestry, and scientific application in production. The government has discussed a draft decree on these policies which will be finalized soon.”

Besides specific measures, a number of revised laws will come into effect soon including the Employment Law, Social Insurance Law, and Vocational Education Law. The effectiveness of social security policies against many economic difficulties has showed consensus and the government’s effort to ensure people’s social rights.