1.5 million Vietnamese people receive emergency assistance due to the impact of natural disasters and floods every year.

VTV.vn - Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that social security policies to support people affected by storms and floods have been implemented very synchronously.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan. Photo: VGP

Information on social security work in the 2020-2025 term at the press conference on the organization of the 1st Government Party Congress on the morning of October 9, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan affirmed that social security policy is a policy for the people and takes people as the center. This is also the goal and driving force in the entire development process of our country. In the Resolution of the National Party Congress as well as the Party Congresses at all levels in many past terms, social security policy is considered one of the important focuses to link economic growth with the implementation of social justice.

According to the Minister of Health, in the past 5 years, in the context of many unprecedented challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, storms and floods... which have greatly impacted people's lives, social security policies with major pillars such as social insurance policies, health insurance policies, unemployment insurance policies, policies related to relief and social assistance... have received attention and direction from the Party and State.

On the basis of implementing these policies, a series of Party regulations and State laws related to perfecting legal institutions, issues of enhancing access to services in health, education, legal aid, housing, ensuring settlement of conditions when losing a job, unemployment assistance, etc. have been implemented synchronously.

Ms. Dao Hong Lan said that the assessment report of the Government Party Committee in preparation for this Congress also clearly stated the results in each field. Especially in the 2020-2025 term, the Party, State and Government have paid attention and consistently followed a spirit, which is "not to leave anyone behind". The Central Committee issued Resolution No. 42 dated November 24, 2023 on social policies, issued on the basis of the overall social policies implemented in many previous terms.

Most recently, Resolution No. 71 and Resolution No. 72 related to education and health policies with breakthrough tasks and solutions to strengthen the implementation of social security policies. They also mentioned the requirement to take people as the center so that all levels, sectors, ministries and localities can implement their policies.

Reviewing some notable contents, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that, firstly, social security policy contributes to ensuring human rights, improving material and spiritual life and strengthening people's trust.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many policies have been implemented with more than 120 trillion VND and 200,000 tons of rice to help tens of millions of people and businesses overcome difficulties. Along with that, policies on employment support and socio-economic recovery have been implemented. Thereby, economic recovery and development are ensured, employment conditions, social security and assistance for people to overcome the most difficult times.

Second, in the past 5 years, the system of policies on social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance has also been strengthened. During this time, the Government submitted to the National Assembly amendments to the Law on Social Insurance and the Law on Health Insurance with many new policies to ensure that the people and workers have clearer and more complete access to social security policies.

In addition, a series of support policies to increase participation in health insurance, voluntary social insurance, and social security policies when workers lose their jobs or encounter risks.

Third, the social assistance system has been expanded and has become a very important social safety net for the disadvantaged. The proportion of people receiving regular benefits has increased and every year, millions of people receive emergency assistance when facing natural disasters and epidemics. The coverage of social assistance has increased from 2.7% of the population in 2016 to 4.5% of the population in 2025, meaning that every year we have about 4.5 million people receiving regular benefits.

"Every year, about 1.5 million people receive emergency assistance due to the impact of natural disasters, storms, floods, epidemics, and catastrophes," Ms. Dao Hong Lan stated. Social security policies to support people affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods are very important and have been implemented very synchronously.

In 2025 and previous years, the implementation of these social security policies not only has the role of the State and localities, but also becomes a very important cultural and lifestyle feature of the people to share together to overcome the difficulties of life.

Fourth, poverty reduction has had very clear results. Our poverty rate has decreased from 4.4% in 2021 to 1.93% in 2024 and about 1% in 2025. Vietnam has also completed the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which are internationally recognized as one of the bright spots in sustainable poverty reduction to implement social security policies. This is also one of the very important bases for us to simultaneously deploy policies, target programs, and solutions to synchronously implement policies related to social security.

"We have also carried out a lot of work on eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses in the previous period, but in this term, the work on eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses has been carried out in a very focused manner. With the direction of the Prime Minister as Head of the Steering Committee, and the participation of all levels and sectors, the work on eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses has been carried out synchronously nationwide," the Minister of Health emphasized.

According to Ms. Dao Hong Lan, the Government has changed its thinking, methods, and implementation methods; established a Steering Committee from the Central to the communes and wards. Periodically, the Government and the Steering Committee hold meetings to review and learn from experience. Most of the content is related to mobilizing resources from State budget savings and regular expenditure savings; excess budget revenue is also used for temporary housing elimination; and socialization of the business community and people.

By the time of the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2, the whole country had completed the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses 5 years and 4 months ahead of the target set by Resolution 42, with a total of 334,234 houses eliminated, at a total cost of nearly 50,000 billion VND.

However, the Steering Committee as well as the Prime Minister and ministries, departments and branches have also thoroughly grasped the spirit: With the characteristics of our country, especially through natural disasters like storms and floods like this, the elimination of temporary houses and dilapidated houses is the initial result. This will be carried out regularly and continuously to help people in difficult circumstances receive housing support, ensure settlement and stabilize their lives when unexpected situations occur in life, affecting their housing. This task will continue to be implemented according to the direction of the Government.

"In the next 5 years, the above contents will continue to be focused tasks with higher requirements and more practical policies to truly ensure social security for people across the country," Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stated.

Source: https://vtv.vn/15-trieu-nguoi-viet-nam-duoc-tro-giup-dot-xuat-do-anh-huong-boi-thien-tai-bao-lu-moi-nam-100251009121707815.htm