Binh Dinh (VNA) – A training workshop was opened in Quy Nhon city, thecentral province of Binh Dinh on May 16 to update reporters and editors on socialsecurity and health insurance schemes.

In his opening remark, VSS Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh said the workshopwas first held by the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) in 2015. The annual event notonly updates information and new regulations on social insurance and health insurancefor reporters and editors from across the country, but also strengthenscooperation between the VSS and news agencies and newspapers in raising publicawareness of the importance of social and health insurance insurances andenforcement of related regulations and law.

Echoing Anh’s view, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Binh Dinh NguyenTuan Thanh, said that the workshop will also offer reporters and editors anopportunity to meet and share experience in covering news in this field.

Ensuring social welfare is a consistent policy of the Vietnamese Party andState, Ho Quang Loi, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam JournalistsAssociation, said, noting that social security is among the State’s effectivetools to ensure social equality and develop the country towards sustainability.

However, many people and businesses lack appropriate knowledge on socialinsurance and health insurance, he said, adding that they are not fully awareof the importance of social security and health insurance schemes.

Loi highlighted the significant role of the press in promoting social andhealth insurance schemes and their credibility among the public, particularlyin the digital era when social media is flourishing.

He applauded cooperation between the VSS and media agencies in recent yearsthat has led to expanded news coverage on social security and health insurance.The press played a vital role in promoting the enforcement of the socialsecurity and health insurance regulations, providing updates on the schemes forthe people and reporting on violations in this regard, he added.

Bui Sy Loi, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for SocialAffairs, updated the participants on the outcomes of the 7th plenary session of the12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which was concludedin Hanoi last week, with focus on wage reforms and renewal of social insurancepolicies.

At the workshop, presentations were delivered on the results of cooperationbetween the VSS and the press in promotion of the laws on Social Insurance andHealth Insurance in 2017 and orientations for 2018. The VSS also gave theparticipants an overview of new social security policies and regulations thathave taken or will take effective this year and its plan to expand voluntarysocial insurance coverage.-VNA