The Ministry of Health has just issued the document "Guidelines on periodic health check-ups for children under 24 months old" applicable nationwide.

The document "Guidelines for periodic health examinations for children under 24 months of age" is a tool to guide grassroots health workers and village and hamlet health workers in continuously monitoring children's health and screening for physical and mental abnormalities in children from birth to 24 months of age. The document was compiled by leading experts in the field of Pediatrics through many rounds of comments and reviews.

The National Children's Hospital was assigned by the Ministry of Health to take the lead in developing the "Guidelines for periodic health examinations for children under 24 months of age" to guide grassroots health workers in conducting periodic health examinations according to the same common standards, screening for physical and mental abnormalities in children.

The document is divided into two chapters: Chapter I: Instructions for organizing a periodic health check-up for children under 24 months old. Chapter II: Instructions for periodic health check-ups for children under 2 years old, including 6 main parts: Assessment of physical and mental development; Periodic health check-up for children 4 - 6 months old; Periodic health check-up for children 7 - 9 months old; Periodic health check-up for children 10 - 12 months old; Periodic health check-up for children 13 - 18 months old; Periodic health check-up for children 19 - 23 months old.

According to the Department of Maternal and Child Health (Ministry of Health), children are the future buds of the country, therefore, education and health care for children are always given top priority by the Party, Government and State. The early stage of life from 0 - 24 months of age is a particularly important stage, children need to have regular health check-ups to detect early signs of abnormalities, handle them promptly and advise parents on how to care for them to help them develop comprehensively in terms of physical, mental and motor skills to maximize their potential in the future.

The document guiding periodic health examinations for children under 24 months of age is applied to all primary health facilities that perform health examinations and screenings for children under 24 months of age. This document was compiled by leading experts in the field of Pediatrics through many rounds of comments and appraisal.

The Department of Maternal and Child Health said that the proper use of documents will contribute to changing the awareness and working methods of grassroots health workers (commune and village levels) in accessing primary health care for children from birth to 24 months of age.

The document is used by health workers in coordination and supplement to the Maternal and Child Health Examination Book, hoping to create a national standard guide demonstrating the cooperation of the whole society, the health sector and families in taking care of children's health right from the early stages and right from the foundation of primary health care./ .

Do Thoa