Improving the public awareness of different groups of society on social security concepts, social security law, as well as benefits and services of the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) has always been one of the main concerns of the ISSO. Accordingly, development of cultural communication and establishment of social dialogue between the ISSO and educational centers of the country came in to one of the priorities of related departments of the ISSO.

The Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) launched the recreative sports program called “Nasim-e-Salamt” (means Blowing of Health) in 2014, in conformity with the motto of the World Health Day 2012: “Good health adds life to years”, for the ISSO pensioners in two categories: 1- Public sports. 2- Organizing cultural-sportive championships. The program is targeted to promote the physically exercise spirit among old-age pensioners in order to improve their health status as well as preventing the typical old-age diseases.

One of the main tasks of the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) is providing the contributors with health services whether directly (through the ISSO owned health centers) or indirectly (through the health contractors). With regard to the increasing demand of health services and emerged problems in this field, especially in the process of patients admission to visit doctors and other service providers (laboratory, radiology and …) in the ISSO owned health centers, the ISSO decided to keep pace with technology and offer e-admission to the patients.

Eliminating the overlaps of insurance periods for those with at least two simultaneous insurance relation in the same period of time (at least one day) in different insurance branches of the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) is implemented to prevent illegal receiving of one benefit and also to promote quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the social security services focused on registration and individual accounts section.

According to the ISSA guidelines on communication, the social security organizations need to prepare correct channels to have effective relation with social partners. To meet these increasingly important need and because of lack of effective channels, Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) developed the plan of “Comprehensive Communication System” in 2015. More than 42 million people covered by the ISSO are in a widespread range of educational, cultural, socio-economic, income and age levels.

In recent years, several issues such as environmental evolution, uncertainty about future, costs increase, expansion of the organizations and legal constrains have made the organizations to change their paradigm. In this regard, the preliminary idea of outsourcing the social security services was introduced by the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) in 1995 in order to prevent the expansion of executive sectors of the ISSO, decreasing the administrative and staffing costs, facilitating and accelerating the insured and employers affairs to increase the social partners satisfaction.

Regarding the vision of Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO), based on developing e-services, aiming at minimizing in-person visits and providing the clients with internet based services, after consulting with lots of experts and pundits, a package of different services in different sectors were prepared and gradually offered to the beneficiaries. Initially, some of them were introduced as a trial plan in miniature scale in selected ISSO insurance branches and then were completed and handed in after improvement.

As regards the Islamic culture, going on a pilgrimage to holy shrines is a great strategy to meet spiritual needs of human beings for achieving inner peace. Accordingly, the Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) has planned and provided the advantage of taking the ISSO old- age pensioners to pilgrimage journeys to the Holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad city since 2015, in order to promote their spiritual and moral revival development.

According to ILO Conventions including No. 19- Equality of Treatment (accident compensation), No. 118- Equality of Treatment (social security), and No. 157- Maintenance of social security rights, providing equal access to social security protection for the migrants has always been one of the major concerns of the Iranian Social Security Organization(ISSO).

The Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) has endeavored, since its establishment, to provide a better service to all its subscribers and clients, relying on an automated system in transferring its legal data, in order to implement its procedures, and to face the increasing number of subscribers.

Due to growth of heath costs, especially cost of medicine and in order to promote quality of health services, it is highly necessary to consider solutions such as strategic purchasing of health services aiming at cost control and shortening fiscal burden as well as preventing medical errors. In line with high level targets of the ISSO and facilitation and expedition of the processes, increasing system efficiency and meet the e-government goals, planning and implementing the “electronic prescription” scheme came on the agenda.

Aiming to resolve the problems in construction industry, such as high work-related injury risks, flexible employment and high mobility of construction workers, China has implemented the “Tongzhou Program”, i.e. the specific social insurance expansion program for the construction industry workers. The program requires the construction industry to join the social insurance coverage in terms of each building project, exploring a new coverage pattern of dynamic real-name registration management.

In order to reduce the personal burden of medical expenses and improve the Chinese patients’ sense of acquisition, happiness and security, in 2017, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized the negotiation of National Medical Insurance Drug List.

In December 2016, Zhejiang Provincial Government made the decision to push forward the reform of “Running Errand, at Most Once”, actively forging a province with “least examination and approval matters, highest efficiency, optimal government environment and strongest sense of gains for the masses and enterprises”. Aiming at reducing the running errands of the insured, based on the “Internet+ E-government Service” and big data, Zhejiang province launched the reform from the aspects and matters closest to the production and livelihood of the enterprises and masses.

Targeting at building a social security system that covers the urban and rural residents in an all-round way, the Chinese government has formulated and implemented a universal social security enrolment programme focusing on the old-age insurance and medical insurance. By the end of 2017, the registration of all the targeted groups across China has been basically completed through the measures of policy optimizing, publicity, strict law enforcement, service improvement and registration at every address.

To fundamentally solve the two problems of “running errands for reimbursement” and “full prepayment by the patients”, in 2016 the Chinese government made the commitment that within two years, the direct settlements of hospitalization expenses will be fully portable across provinces. A nationwide network for basic health insurance and direct settlement network across provinces will be set up to achieve direct settlement of hospitalization expenses across provinces.