33 years dedicated to population work

“During nearly 35 years of work, Mr. Le Duc Than, Deputy Head of the Population Department, Hai Lang District Health Center, has devoted himself to population work for 33 years. During his work, he always strives to overcome difficulties, stays close to the grassroots to find solutions to effectively carry out assigned tasks. He is also the one who motivates the activities and emulation movements of the population sector, thereby contributing to the completion of the set targets and plans, improving the quality of life of the community, and promoting socio-economic development in the locality,” said Nguyen Dinh Nam, Deputy Director of Hai Lang District Health Center, about a dedicated officer in the district’s population work.

Mr. Le Duc Than consults and talks on premarital health care for adolescents and young people - Photo: NT

Born and raised in the studious land of Hai Lang, from a young age Than was a boy who was conscious of overcoming his family's difficult circumstances to study well. Thanks to that, Than was one of the few children of Quang Tri at that time who passed the entrance exam and completed the Bachelor of Philosophy program at Ho Chi Minh City University. With the desire to contribute to the development of his homeland, in 1990 this enthusiastic young man returned to his homeland. In 1991, he was elected Secretary of the old Hai Xuan Commune Youth Union (now Hai Hung Commune).

Being a dynamic, capable and qualified person, in 1992, he was appointed to the position of communications specialist at the Population and Family Planning Committee of Hai Lang district (now Hai Lang District Health Center). In 2019, he was appointed Deputy Head of the Population Department and in 2024, he was Deputy Head in charge of the Population Department, Hai Lang District Health Center until now.

In the early days of his work, the lives of Hai Lang people at that time were still facing many difficulties. The awareness of reproductive health care and family planning (CSSKSS/KHHG) of the majority of people was not high, the concept of "God created elephants, God created grass", "preferring males, despising females" still existed in many families... so the annual birth rate was still high, affecting the quality of the population, limiting development in many aspects in the locality.

As a person who is not afraid of difficulties and hardships, he often goes to the grassroots to grasp the situation; coordinates with commune population officers and population collaborators to go to each household to propagate and mobilize people to have reproductive health care/family planning; advises agency leaders to deploy many communication solutions, integrate family planning services suitable for each locality and target group; promotes the construction of many models to improve population quality such as: villages with no people having a third child or more; clubs: pre-marital, juvenile, elderly helping the elderly...

Thanks to that, more and more people are actively participating in health care programs, especially reproductive health care/family planning, implementing the low-child model... organized by the health and population sector.

In recent years, implementing population work in the new situation, with his extensive experience over many years of work, Mr. Than advised the unit's leaders to issue plans on organizing and implementing the tasks of the population sector in the whole district. Identifying communication as one of the basic solutions to successfully implement the goals of the population and development program, he always researches and learns new working methods, suitable to the practical situation of the locality to apply and organize implementation.

Advised the agency's leaders to organize communication events such as the Youth Club exchange on the occasion of World Population Day on July 11; the Elderly Club helping the elderly on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons on October 1, the "Being a girl is great" exchange on the occasion of International Day of the Girl Child on October 11; organized and implemented communication campaigns integrating the provision of family planning services in communes with high results. He directly participated in many talks on adolescent and youth reproductive health care, extracurricular activities for students of high schools, middle schools and secondary schools in the whole district.

Enthusiastically guide the population staff of communes and towns to review, supplement and update information into the electronic data warehouse, use industry management software, thereby helping them gain more skills in collecting, updating and processing monthly and quarterly fluctuating information accurately and specifically.

Regularly check the initial recording system and statistical reports of collaborators every time they attend the grassroots meetings to help collaborators update more fully in the A0 book. Currently, the district's electronic data warehouse has been updated 100%, which is highly appreciated by superiors.

Although Hai Lang district is large, has a large population, and has many unfavorable factors for population work, Mr. Than always knows how to overcome difficulties, promote advantages, and together with colleagues in the agency and communes and villages in the district, effectively deploy and carry out many assigned tasks.

Thanks to that, the population work in the district has achieved encouraging results. In 2024 alone, the district's third and higher birth rate reached 14.8%, down 1.1% over the same period (target is to decrease by 1%); the birth rate was 11‰, down 0.1‰ (reaching the target); the natural population growth rate was 0.49%, (target below 1%); newly launched and relaunched 3/4 villages with no one giving birth to a third or higher child.

With 33 years of tireless dedication to population work, Mr. Than was honored to receive many certificates of merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, General Department of Population, Department of Health, Hai Lang District People's Committee, and Hai Lang District Medical Center.

Ngoc Trang

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/33-nam-tan-tam-voi-cong-tac-dan-so-193960.htm