Hechi hits social security goals

Hechi has met all of its targets across five branches of social security in 2016, speeding up the efficiency of the service and covering more people, according to Hechi Daily on March 20.

The number of people covered under Hechi's social security system reached 1.1 million in 2016, marking a 101.62 percent completion of targets set.

More than 300,000 people are currently registered to receive government pensions, with 1.8 million social security cards issued across the city.

In a bid to streamline services and reduce government costs, steps were taken to combine the rural and urban pension offices with the Social Insurance Bureau of Hechi.

For eligible residents, medical regulations were improved to allow for payments to be reimbursed immediately after treatment, lessening financial burden on patients.

In addition, information technology was applied across a range of social security services allowing for faster and more efficient processing.

For businesses, the government introduced tax cuts and preferential policies, reducing social insurance rates. For the unemployed, subsidizes and benefits payments were introduced to help people get back into the workplace.