Reducing the cost from the insured’s pocket is the priority of social security in the treatment sector
According to Poli Mali News, Mirhashem Mousavi, CEO of Social Security Organization, during his visit to Mehr News Agency, which was held at the same time as Social Security Week, explained the country’s welfare and social security issues and explained the achievements and plans of this organization for the development of services and transformation in social security. The full text of the Mehr News Agency’s report on the interview of the CEO of the Social Security Organization with this news agency is as follows:
The Managing Director of the Social Security Organization said: Our priority for retirees is to discuss the development of services, especially medical services, and reducing the out-of-pocket payments of the insured in the treatment sector.
On the sidelines of his visit to Mehr News Agency, Mousavi said: Basically, the social security governance system is a system where people feel calm and secure, and in other words, the mission of this system is to provide comfort, security, favorable living conditions, and to improve the state of welfare and services in the field of social security.
He added: Social security basically puts people’s lives in the form of an umbrella of support and coverage.
Insurance coverage of 2 million uninsured people in the 13th government
The CEO of the Social Security Organization said: “We prioritized the expansion of insurance coverage, which is one of our basic and primary approaches, which is addressed in the 29th principle of the Constitution, and since the beginning of the 13th People’s Government, about two million more people have been covered by social insurance in this organization and have received these insurance protections.” We have at least 5 to 6 million uninsured people and this nature of insurance is a universal right in the constitution and we must try to convey this nature of insurance to everyone and the effect that insurance has on the realization of justice is very important and we are obliged to do it.
He emphasized: With the establishment of the 13th People’s Government and the start of the work of the new management team of the Social Security Organization, we tried to focus on the main issues and challenges and formulate strategies to solve the major issues of the organization and social security governance. We tried to make decisions and actions in such a way as to achieve justice and increase the level of trust and satisfaction of the people in the path of transformation.
He said about the development of services: {Transformative reforms in social security} start from the obstacles that these services have in the field of business to the concrete services that we provide to the insured, including workers, employers, retirees and all the different sectors that we have in the form of these 46 million people covered as our main beneficiaries and partners. Especially in the field of medical services, which is one of our most important services after the discussion of livelihood and provision of possible risks in the field of business, which is one of the priorities of all those who are working and those who are retired, in other words, health provides security.
Mousavi said: If this is not taken into consideration, the rest of the cases and conditions of life will be overshadowed by health, and in this case, social security has started very good works.
He further said: In the strategic purchase of the country’s health sector, the Ministry of Health and the departments of the parties to the medical contract, which have more than 52,000 medical centers, we have started a development path that we hope will be able to satisfy the people and the insured.
The CEO of the Social Security Organization said in relation to the livelihood of retirees: Regarding the livelihood of these people, attention has been paid since 2009, once at the end of 2009, pensioners’ salaries were proportionalized, and once again in 1400, when the discussion remained, the proportionalization took place in 2 stages, which had a huge financial burden.
Settlement of 106 thousand billion tomans of social security debt to the banking system
He said: “Last year, we had an increase in salaries, which was 57% of the minimum wage and 38% plus 515 thousand tomans, which we applied, despite the fact that social security was the most indebted group to the country’s banking system with 106 thousand billion tomans, but with the organization’s positive interaction with the 13th government and the Islamic Council, the amount of debt was adjusted to the amount of 170 thousand billion tomans, and we applied these obligations to the pensioners’ pay slips.
Mousavi went on to say: “This year is also proportional to the increase that took place based on the resolution of the Supreme Council for minimum wage earners by 27% and for other levels by 21% plus 250,000 Tomans, which of course was for the base. The increase was higher in the secondary, i.e. in family, housing, etc., the average increase was more than 21 and 27%. The estimate we gave was maybe close to 30%.”
He stated: In addition to the fact that this settlement has many macro-economic effects, saving and preventing annual losses of about 25 thousand billion tomans, cost and bank profit for the social security organization. In addition to excessive borrowing, which had also caused bank conflicts, we were able to inject about 46 thousand billion Tomans into the banking system in the form of increasing the capital of Refah Karkaran Bank for investment and the future of the insured. We hope that instead of giving us his services, he will provide financing in line with the prosperity and growth of production and curbing inflation.
The CEO of the Social Security Organization continued: So far this year, we have not received Riyals from Refah Bank to fulfill obligations and pay salaries, and we have fulfilled obligations of more than 45 thousand billion tomans per month without borrowing. One of the other important approaches in this government is the development of priority services to the people, and according to the president’s emphasis, we made this strategy our priority, especially in the field of medical services.
He added: “Despite the remaining financial constraints, one of our approaches in this government has been to reduce the cost from the people’s pockets. In this context, we have prioritized the development of direct medical and social security services, in which all our services are free, and our credit in 1400, which was 4,500 billion Tomans, increased to 9,500 billion Tomans in 1401 and to 11,500 billion Tomans in 1402.”
Improving livelihoods under the condition of controlling inflation
Social security retirees’ rights were announced based on articles 96 and 111 of the social security law after approval by the cabinet.
The CEO of the Social Security Organization stated: Of course, part of the problems related to inflation and the gap in increasing inflation and this increase, according to some, could not compensate for the gap, that the government’s will to control inflation was in the increase of the new year and in the resolution of the Supreme Labor Council, one of the arguments is that inflation will be controlled and will have a decreasing trend.
He added: “We hope that this downward trend in inflation will continue and that purchasing power will be felt to some extent.” What has been assigned according to the law and approved by the Board of Directors of the Social Security Organization in the Council of Ministers, the payments are up-to-date and we are almost fulfilling our obligations, and we must do whatever is the legal obligation.
Free treatment in social security medical centers
He further said: “Our priority for retirees is to discuss the development of services, especially treatment services and providing a part of their costs, especially in the field of the elderly, to reduce out-of-pocket payments for these loved ones. We have taken several measures. All medical services in our medical centers are free for everyone, especially for retirees, inpatient and outpatient services.”
Mousavi stated: When I took over the organization, the contribution of the organization was approximately 23 thousand tomans in supplementary insurance, which the center had made a supplementary insurance contract on behalf of the retirees because they had seen the specialized services needed in the form of supplementary insurance. We had the approval of the organization in the resources that we spend more than 4 to 5 billion tomans every year in the field of assistance to supplementary insurances, which partially reduced the costs of heavy medical services for retired loved ones.
He further said: We implemented a financial protection plan in the field of treatment so that the payment is lower and we announced that in cities where we do not have hospitals, the organization will bear all the costs of inpatient treatment with a contract with the Ministry of Health, and the insured should not pay any additional amount.
The CEO of the Social Security Organization stated: We have better conditions for retirees above 65 years old, which are based on the government tariff in government medical centers; Do not pay for heavy treatments.
Benefiting 220,000 retirees from Qarzul-Hosna loan
Regarding the measures to be taken for the social security pensioners, Mousavi said: First, there is the Qarz Al-Hasna loan, the first stage of which has been deposited for the applicants, and the second stage of registration will begin immediately.
Regarding the amount of social security loan, he said: The amount of this loan was 12 million tomans in the past years, but this loan has increased to 20 million.
Mousavi said: Second, Karamat Razavi’s trip, which we restarted after 2 years due to the spread of the Corona virus, will start in the first half of August. Last year, about 50,000 people were sent to Mashhad for free.
Regarding the trip of Karamat Razavi, the CEO of the Social Security Organization said: People can register through the centers of retirees in all cities, and efforts will be made to provide the possibility of absentee registration for retirees.
Regarding the loan registration system, he said: “We have prepared a software platform, but if it is possible this year as well as last year, they can register in a way other than going to the retirement centers and in absentia.”
Mousavi further stated: In the first stage of registration, which was about 40,000, the centers continued the heart path, but we have an electronic platform ready, and we are going to go to non-person registration, we ask the centers to cooperate with us.
He said about the amount of the loan: the amount of the loan can be increased, but the number of beneficiaries will decrease.
Setting up diabetes and blood pressure clinics
The Managing Director of the Social Security Organization stated: The Social Security Organization provides services with more than 18 types of services in two basic sectors: insurance and medical care. In the past year, 21 development or creation projects were put into operation, mainly in the less productive areas in the north, south, east and west of the country, among which Langroud Hospital, Gilan, Sardasht, Bushehr, Hamedan, etc. can be mentioned.
He stated: This year, we will implement about 29 more projects in 100% free treatment and we have more than 200 projects in progress, most of them are treatment, including Abadan Hospital, Borujerd Hospital Development and 550-bed Fayazbakhsh Hospital.
He said: In the prevention approach, cost reduction for the future and maintaining health are two issues that are prioritized, which include diabetes and blood pressure, which we initially set up about 5 or 6 centers, and now, according to the latest report, we have about 185 blood pressure and diabetes clinics in the country.
Mousavi said: The Social Security Organization is a people-oriented organization in the 13th government that has covered 46 million people for the growth and development of the country. The governance of this organization is also based on upstream documents and in the form of human empowerment to realize social justice.
The priority of distribution of private medical centers in less privileged areas
He continued: One of these upstream documents was the announced policies of the Supreme Leader, which identified the difficulties in this area and the solutions to face the challenges and directed policy making and decision making.
He said: The next approach is that the distribution of our private and direct treatment is not fair and the less privileged areas do not benefit. In the form of leveling, centers should be created, and we prioritized this issue.
Mousavi discussed the development with the medical centers and said: In order to be able to provide the places where the need is directly provided and we cannot treat in those centers, the capacity of other medical centers can be used. We prioritized direct treatment services and are mainly moving towards specialized services.