Two rickshaws seen on Preah Monivong Blvd in Phnom Penh. The NSSF will tentatively roll out its Social Protection: Innovations for Informal Sector (SPIN) project for housemaids and tuk-tuk drivers soon. Hong Menea
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) will tentatively roll out its Social Protection: Innovations for Informal Sector (SPIN) project for housemaids and tuk-tuk drivers soon after an NSSF board of directors meeting on February 21.
Heng Sophannarith, deputy director-general of the NSSF, said the tentative rollout of the SPIN project was delayed as NSSF officials were busy relocating to a new building, prompting Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng to postpone the meeting a fourth time.
He said the NSSF board of directors has to firstly decide on the pilot scheme, because the director-general of the NSSF cannot make a decision when it concerns funding.
“If we roll out this pilot scheme and it runs out of funds while it is being implemented, who takes responsibility? So at this point, we must have a decision by the NSSF board of directors,” he stated.
Chheang Sinat, representative of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), said during a question-and-answer session that his association requested the NSSF speed up the registration of members of IDEA so that they can benefit from the NSSF.
“IDEA was registered at the NSSF two months ago. So, I asked them to speed up the procedures so that our members will get NSSF cards for use because some of the members who registered are having medical problems. Now, they are waiting to get NSSF cards to get medical treatment,” he said.
“If it was over two months ago and they have yet to get the cards, their problems will be more severe. So, I asked the director-general of the NSSF to help speed it up,” he continued.
IDEA president Vorn Pov said that so far his association has 17,000 members who want to enter the NSSF to get the healthcare benefits.
“I want to include all of the members in the NSSF, but the NSSF functions slowly. This NSSF is very important because they could go for medical treatment at hospitals,” he said. “I think that having NSSF cards is the foundation of respecting their right to life and human dignity in society as we live in a developing country.”
NSSF said minister Samheng has already approved the tentative rollout of the project in August of 2022.
