E/C.12/VNM/CO/2-4
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Step up efforts to improve health insurance coverage in the informal
economy and undertake campaigns to encourage disadvantaged and marginalized
groups to participate in the insurance;
(b)
Ensure that health insurance co-payments remain affordable for all,
including socially disadvantaged groups, and expand the list of prescribed medicines
under the insurance scheme so as to limit out-of-pocket payments;
(c)
Invest in the improvement of the quality of health-care services in
community health centres and district hospitals.
The Committee refers the State party to its general comments No. 19 (2007) on the
right to social security and No. 14 (2000) on the right to the highest standard of health.
Unemployment insurance
23.
The Committee is concerned that there is no State-funded social assistance
unemployment safety net in the State party and that unemployment insurance is only
available to paid-up contributors, which resulted in very low unemployment insurance
coverage to 5.32 per cent of the workforce in 2013 (art. 9).
The Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary policy and
legislative measures to promote access to unemployment insurance, including by
putting in place non-contributory social assistance unemployment benefits, providing
subsidies in order to promote enrolment in unemployment insurance and ensuring
that qualifying conditions for benefits are reasonable and proportionate. The
Committee invites the State party to provide information on progress achieved in its
next periodic report.
Older persons
24.
The Committee is concerned at the overall situation of older persons in the State
party, as only a small number of them receive either pension benefits or the older persons’
allowance, with the latter paid only to persons who are older than 80 years and without a
caregiver, pension or social insurance allowance. Moreover, the Committee is concerned
that the amount of the allowance is lower than the poverty line (arts. 9–11).
The Committee recommends that the State party revise the eligibility criteria for the
social allowance for older persons so that those in need are not excluded. It also
recommends that the State party increase the amount of social allowance so as to
enable an adequate standard of living for the recipients.
Additionally, in the light of the ageing population in the State party, the Committee
recommends that the State party adopt measures to respond to the specific needs of
older persons, including measures to ensure income security in old age, through both
contributory and non-contributory schemes, the delivery of adequate and affordable
health-care services and the conduct of awareness-raising activities on the rights of
older persons.
In that regard, the Committee recommends that the State party take account of its
general comments No. 6 (1995) on the economic, social and cultural rights of older
persons and No. 19 (2007) on the right to social security.
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