On January 18th, Wang Daiqian, a staff member of Sichuan Museum, took over his third- generationsocial security card from Dai Yunkang, Director of Sichuan Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department. From that day, the third generation of social security cards were officially issued and used in our province. New functions have been added to it such as quick payment of small amount of money and online identity authentication.

　　Sichuan Province and Chengdu City are the first pilot areas of the third-generation social security card in China. On January 18th, Sichuan Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department and Chengdu Human Resources and Social Security Bureau held the issuing ceremony of the third generation of social security cards in Sichuan Province at the West China Hospital of the Sichuan University.

　　With powerful functions of the new card, cardholders can enjoy 102 items of service

　　In the ceremony, officials of Sichuan Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department and Chengdu Human Resources and Social Security Bureau administered the third generation of social security cards to representatives from Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Museum and Chengdu No.3 Construction Engineering Company.

　　A social security card is an electronic credential for a cardholder to enjoy the rights and interests of human resources and social security services. It has six functions: identity voucher, information recording, self-help inquiry, medical settlement, payment and treatment as well as financial payment.

　　Dong Hongjie, Director of Sichuan Provincial Social Security Bureau said that from January 18th, the insured people in Chengdu and of provincial level will continue to receive the third generation of social security cards who can enjoy 102 items of social public service including social security payment, treatment receiving, medical treatment and medicine buying, information inquiry, settlement of medical treatment outside of Sichuan, appraisal of labor capacity as well as employment and unemployment registration .

　　Compared with the second-generation social security card, the third generation one has all of its service and functions and can be applied in medical settlement and other human resource and social security sectors. Besides, there is also the function of contactless card reading and using and quick payment of small amount of money, making it more convenient to use; in terms of security, it adopts domestic cryptographic algorithm; for the expansion function, it has introduced a new technology of online identity authentication card. Therefore, it is the safest domestic e-government card with the best and most extensive applications.

　　Officials of Chengdu Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said that 9.219 million people’s information in Chengduhas been collected to make the third generation social security cards. By the end of this year, more than 13 million insured people’s information will have been collectedwho will be given the third-generation social security cards.

　　At present, the grassroots platform and part of bank branches in Chengdu has built 1103 standardized service outlets of social security card. Human resources and social security agencies at all levels, 3153 authorized medical institutions and 7997 designated retail pharmacies and cooperative bank outlets have widely deployed read-write terminals to establish a sound environment to use the card.

　　Experience the new card: “flash” payment is so convenient

　　After issuing ceremony of the third-generation social security card yesterday, staff representatives settled their clinical service in the outpatient window of West China Hospital and bought medicine in Xinglin Pharmacy by functions of contactless card and quick payment of the new card.

　　“It is very convenient without going back and forth.” In the outpatient fee window of the West China Hospital, Liu Xuyou, a worker of Sichuan Symphony Orchestra bought 4.2 yuan of medicine with his third-generation social security card. He gave the card to worker who put it on the card reader terminal, and then the system automatically calculated the amount of money of his drugs which will be deducted directly from the card account.

　　“If using the second-generation social security card, we should first settle accounts at a window, then pay for it at another one, and then go to get the medicine. A patient or his/her family had to go back and forth just to take medicine. Now we just need to pay in one window and then can take medicine in the pharmacy.” Liu Xuyou said so.

　　Officials of Chengdu Human Resources and Social Security Bureau introduced that the third-generation social security has two accounts, namely social security account and financial account, which can be used for cash withdrawal and deposit, money transfer and consumption like bank cards. In Xinglin Pharmacy Huasheng Shop, Li Yucheng, an employee of Sichuan Museum was very satisfied with the financial account function after using the card. “In the past, when we took the social security card to buy drugs but there was no money in the account, we had to pay cash. Now even if there is no money in the social security account, I can use the money in the financial account. It is convenient that we need not take many cards with us.”

　　Background number

　　By the end of 2017, the number of social security cardholders in our province reached 60.1481 million, covering 73.4% of permanent residents. By 2020, that number in our province will reach more than 74 million, covering over 90% of people.