Need to transfer public services to social organizations

In recent years, social organizations have been developing strongly in both quantity and quality, the transfer of public services to social organizations is an important content of socialization of public services and is a mobilization of non-state organizations involved in creating and providing public services to the society. These organizations will not only increase and enrich public services to the society, meet increasing needs of the society, but create a competitive environment between public and non-public sectors on quality and price of public services also, Dr. Do Thi Van - Director of the Non-Governmental Organizations - Information Center (NGO-IC) said.

Dr. Do Thi Van - Director of NGO-IC (Internet image)

Transfer of public services to social organizations is necessary

Currently, social organizations have been formed under regulations of the state and are strictly managed by state agencies; assist the state in resolving a number of social issues, self-regulatory activities, internal decision-making organizations, and non-political power and completely voluntary operation. The above-mentioned characteristics of social organizations indicate that these organizations are suitable for undertaking provision of public services.

According to Dr. Van, ability to provide public services of social organizations is reflected in the following points: Firstly, the operation principle of social organizations is for a purpose of society, serving society. Secondly, operation of social organizations is non-profit, which means not to aim at profit, if having profit, it will not be distributed to members according to their ownership of contribution, but is used for organization's overall goals. This feature helps social organizations participating in provision of public services focus on social services, paying attention to social benefits achieved. Thirdly, the cohesion of members is voluntary on the basis of consistency with the goals and principles of organization operation. Volunteering is a motivation to help members serve society in a fair, enthusiastic and thoughtful manner. These are important factors of public service delivery. Fourthly, a career social organization usually gathers qualified people in a certain career field, many of whom have high qualifications and enthusiasm for their career field, to participate in organizations accordingly. This is human resource with good quality; creating opportunities for these people to contribute to the society will create meaningful values for the society.

Due to social feature and difference from economic organizations, social organizations are suitable for provision of public services that require specialized and professional skills, associated with social and non-profit needs. It can be affirmed that not-for-profit social organizations are key ones in undertaking provision of public services in the process of transferring public services to the non-state sector in our country.

Social organizations are diverse, operating in many different areas, in most areas of social life. Therefore, they can participate in provision of different types of public services: including career service, public service and administrative service.

The transfer of public services to social organizations will create favorable conditions for these organizations to actively participate in provision of public services, promote their potential capacity and ability in society, arouse their proactively creativity, thus diversifying and increasing the supply of public services to the society. In the context that the state is towards reducing state structure in particular and public sector in general, the transfer of public services to social organizations will help the state to expand a scope of public service provision without any requirement to increase state institutions and staff. Moreover, as a non-profit social service, these organizations will not lead to the biggest negative consequences of socialization - that is, finding ways to collect user money and run after profit of some private organizations. The transfer of public services to social organizations will contribute to reduce state agencies’ burden, sharing responsibilities with them, mobilizing participation of social organizations, increasing objectivity, publicity, transparency and responsibility. Naturally, the State still needs to strengthen its management, inspection and supervision to ensure quality of public services provided and price of services by laws, policies and supportive measures. On the side of social organizations, it is also necessary to strengthen their capacity, plans, and operational strategies to be able to receive public services suitable with principles, purposes and mobilize participation of individuals and institutions of social organizations.

Public service implementation results of social organizations and some recommendations

According to Dr. Van, in the context of the economy transferring from a system based on administrative subsidies to a socialist-oriented market economy, the transfer of public services to the non-state sector, especially for social organizations becomes ever more urgent and inevitable.

Therefore, many public services have been recently transferred by the state to organizations, enterprises and social career organizations such as: In the administrative field: to a series of notary public offices, lawyer's offices, and legal consulting offices; in the field of medical: to hospitals, clinics, private pharmacies; In the field of education and training: to private schools from kindergartens to universities; In the field of finance: to commercial banks, securities companies ...; In the field of construction: Consulting, construction and installation companies, public services such as water supply, waste collection and treatment ...

The Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) and its members can deploy some public services and current public services are implemented by VUSTA and its members. In fact, there is a few of public services having been transferred to social organizations so far. These include: activities related to education (textbooks, formal education from preschools to universities, special education, skill education etc.); private medical and pharmaceutical services; granting construction certificates level II and level III; legal services such as notary offices, other judicial assistance activities such as bailiffs (doing civil judgments, document handling, diplomas), Asset management officers (doing certain jobs in bankruptcy procedures) are also being socialized ...

In order to increase participation of social organizations in provision of public services, the State needs to support, encourage and create favorable conditions for these organizations to promote their roles and capabilities to create essential common benefits for the society. According to Dr. Van, firstly, it is necessary have a thematic decree on provision of public services for social organizations. Secondly, the National Assembly researched and promulgated a number of laws such as: Law on Associations, clear legal provisions on names and activities of social organizations, affirming roles of social organizations in social and economic development, clearly defining the nature of non-profit activities of social organizations to create a legal environment for their activities; Law on Public Service Supply, which assigns social organizations to perform public services, socialize public services; amend and supplement Law on HIV / AIDS which assigns the Government to stipulate regulations and policies for non-governmental organizations in using the state budget for HIV / AIDS; promulgate a national HIV / AIDS strategy including solutions to transfer public services to social organizations for implementation.

In addition, Dr. Van said, the State should have policies to encourage and create favorable conditions for social organizations to participate in providing public services; encourage and create favorable conditions for social organizations to mobilize and attract non-state resources for their activities, including resources from abroad with clear and open policies. Relevant ministries and departments impetus more strongly the transfer and grant licenses of public service provision to eligible social organizations as specified by law.

The State encourages participation and creation of regulations and policies to create a favorable legal environment for social organizations in providing public services such as: ordering or bidding to provide public services from the state budget; tax policy allowances and favorable facilities (land lease ...); set up a system of economic and technical norms, especially a price level for public services provided by social organizations.

The State should strengthen its management, supervision, timely and in-depth inspection, and quality assessment of public service activities carried out by agencies and organizations, including social organizations to ensure society’s order and discipline, and create equality among economic sectors as well as public service beneficiaries.

Expanding cooperation between public service suppliers of the State and social organizations to reduce cost and manpower for the State, take advantage of these organizations’ qualified human resources to provide quality public services to the society. This will contribute to reducing pressure of increasing payroll in public institutions and taking advantage of social organizations’ quality contribution in provision of some public services.

The Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, acting as a connection between its members and the Party, the State and Vietnam Fatherland Front agencies, should have proposals and recommendations to motivate and impact more on relevant agencies in the enactment of Law on Associations, Law on Public Service Supply, Amended Law on HIV / AIDS; on the institutionalization of Decree No. 19-NQ / TW, dated October 25, 2017 issued by 12 ^thCongress Party Session XII on continuing to renovate organizational system and management, improvement effectiveness and performance of public non-business units. VUSTA will provide more support to social organizations in order to: create a certain program or research about public services, from which recommend a comprehensive proposal for transferring public service to social organizations; work with social organizations to develop advocacy strategies with a purpose that government officials and ministries are able to well aware of social organizations’ roles, positions and strength to obtain a public service delivery policy to social organizations, socialize public services; gather, connect and link members of same career group together to propose public service tasks and organize implementation; promote training, training to improve ability and professional skills for members.

Social organizations should proactively improve their professionalism, have sufficient qualified human resources, facilities, finance and proactively propose the State to transfer public services; associations and organizations must cooperate well with their managing agencies and functional agencies of the State, take use of financial and human resources support from state agencies to propose to supply directly or participate in public services research and evaluation.

Establish and develop international cooperation on careers, take advantage of international and regional career organizations ‘support. Proactively cooperate, coordinate to organize career activities to contribute to increasing quality of services provided to members, Dr. Van said.