On May 27, the National Assembly discussed the draft Law on Social Insurance (amended) in the hall. One of the contents that delegates were interested in discussing was maternity benefits.
Need to increase time off work for prenatal check-ups to at least 5 times
Delegate Le Thi Thanh Lam (Hau Giang delegation) proposed that during pregnancy, female workers should be allowed to take time off work to go for prenatal check-ups "at least 5 times", instead of only "at most 5 times" as stipulated in the draft.
This proposal comes from the fact that doctors prescribe that every month, workers must have a prenatal check-up to monitor the normal development of the fetus.
According to a female delegate from Hau Giang province, if regulations require female workers to have 5 prenatal check-ups during pregnancy, female workers will have to ask for leave, vacation, or unpaid medical leave many times.
The bill also stipulates that male workers participating in compulsory social insurance, when their wives give birth, are entitled to take leave and enjoy maternity benefits. Specifically, male workers are entitled to 5 working days off when their wives give birth normally; 7 working days off when their wives have a cesarean section, or give birth before 32 weeks.
In case the wife gives birth to twins, the male employee is entitled to 10 working days off, from the third child onwards, each additional child is entitled to 3 working days off.
If the wife gives birth to twins and requires surgery, the male employee is entitled to 14 working days off. If the wife gives birth to triplets or more and requires surgery, the male employee is entitled to 3 additional working days off for each additional child.
The female delegate of Hau Giang province suggested that the drafting committee study increasing the number of days off for male workers to a minimum of 10 working days in the case of a normal birth and higher in the case of twins or more or caesarean section. This is to ensure responsibility and create conditions for the father to support the mother in the process of taking care of young children.
Also concerned about the regulations on maternity leave, delegate Bui Thi Quynh Tho (Ha Tinh delegation) proposed adding more subjects who are entitled to maternity leave such as mothers, sisters, or relatives taking care of single women giving birth.
Citing the fact that the number of unmarried or single women who still want to have children is increasing, Ms. Tho said that these people should also benefit from the State's policy on caregivers when giving birth. Therefore, the delegate proposed that the draft law add more subjects to the maternity regime for single women.
However, Director of Cho Ray Hospital Nguyen Tri Thuc (HCMC delegation) said that according to the World Health Organization's regulations, a pregnancy check-up cycle is 5 times, but it should be divided into normal and pathological pregnancies.
Normal pregnancy is 5 times, on average one examination is only one day, there are special cases 2 days, but those 2 days must wait for test results and come back to get the results. With pathological pregnancy examination, the doctor should decide how much time off.
Proposal to supplement social insurance leave policy when treating infertility
Delegate Tran Kim Yen (HCMC delegation) cited a report from the General Statistics Office that Vietnam's total fertility rate has been on a downward trend in recent years and is forecast to continue to decline in the following years. If the average fertility rate of women 20 years ago was around 3.4, by 2020 it would be 2.05 and by 2023 it would be 1.96. In HCMC it is 1.39, not to mention the trend of young people not wanting to get married.
In addition, Ms. Yen also cited the latest data from the General Statistics Office showing that the rate of single people in Vietnam is increasing rapidly from 6.23% in 2004 to 10.1% in 2019.
“Thus, within 15 years, the rate of people choosing not to get married has nearly doubled. Meanwhile, the prolonged aging of the population has led to serious consequences in many developed countries, such as labor shortages and problems with elderly care,” the female delegate from Ho Chi Minh City worried.
According to her, this is a big lesson for Vietnam to pay attention to, build policies, and adjust birth rates appropriately to maintain a sustainable workforce in the future. Experience from countries around the world shows that when the total fertility rate is below 2, it is very difficult to raise it to a safe threshold.
She also said she read an article saying that in Vietnam, about 7.7% of couples of childbearing age, equivalent to about 1 million couples, are infertile.
From the fact that the infertility rate is increasing, in which about 50% of infertile couples are under 30 years old, delegate Yen proposed a bill to supplement the policy of taking leave to enjoy social insurance benefits when going for infertility examination and treatment.
Delegate Dao Chi Nghia (Can Tho delegation) proposed a regulation that only requires participating in social insurance for 6 months or more before giving birth and continuing to pay for at least 6 months after giving birth to receive maternity benefits.
Considering that the draft regulation only allows the father or mother to receive benefits when giving birth, delegate Nghia proposed that in cases where both the father and mother participate in voluntary social insurance and give birth to a child together, both the father and mother are entitled to maternity benefits.
This is to ensure fairness between families with both parents paying voluntary social insurance compared to families with only one parent paying voluntary social insurance; while ensuring the attractiveness of the policy based on the principle that the more you pay, the more you will receive.
The revised Social Insurance Law was discussed by the National Assembly at its 6th session in October 2023. After being accepted and revised, the draft law consists of 11 chapters and 147 articles, with 11 new articles added, and is expected to be approved by the National Assembly at its 7th session.
Should increase maternity leave for men?
Are employees who voluntarily pay social insurance entitled to maternity benefits?
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/de-xuat-chong-duoc-nghi-thai-san-it-nhat-10-ngay-de-ho-tro-vo-cham-soc-con-2284908.html
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