Ministry of Health inspects elderly work in Ninh Binh, many important tasks are set

The Ministry of Health's working delegation led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong comprehensively inspected the work of the elderly in Ninh Binh, recorded the results and pointed out the key tasks that the locality must complete.

On December 9, 2025, the Ministry of Health 's inspection team on the care and promotion of the role of the elderly, led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, worked in Ninh Binh province. The program included inspecting the Intergenerational Self-Help Club model in Tay Hoa Lu Ward, discussing with the People's Committee of Tay Hoa Lu Ward and working with the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province.

This activity aims to assess the implementation status of the Law on the Elderly, state management, health care results, social assistance and participation of the elderly in the area after administrative unit rearrangement.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong spoke.

The Ministry of Health highly appreciates the Intergenerational Self-Help Club model.

Visiting the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Tay Hoa Lu Ward, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong expressed her joy when directly witnessing the activities, performances and exchanges with members. The Deputy Minister said that this is one of the important tasks after the Ministry of Health took over the social protection sector from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs , in which the work of the elderly is the focus.

The Deputy Minister of Health assessed that the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Tay Hoa Lu Ward is active, diverse and closely follows the General Secretary's direction on comprehensive care for the elderly - from health, spirit to community cohesion.

"The elderly are not a burden but a force that makes great contributions to socio-economic development; in fact, many of the country's great businessmen, scholars and intellectuals are in their twilight years but still play important roles," Deputy Minister Lien Huong emphasized.

According to the Deputy Minister, the Intergenerational Self-Help Club model not only supports health and mental care, but also serves as a social and economic support, creating conditions for the elderly to borrow capital to develop their livelihoods and maintain a stable life. This is a model that needs to be further strengthened and replicated.

On behalf of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong expressed her gratitude and acknowledged the efforts of the Club; at the same time, called on sponsors to continue to accompany and support members and help the Intergenerational model spread more strongly in localities.

The Ministry of Health delegation gave gifts to the elderly at the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Tay Hoa Lu ward.

After the activities at the Club, the working delegation worked with the People's Committee of Tay Hoa Lu Ward. The report of Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tay Hoa Lu Ward, showed that after the merger, the management area was nearly 85 square kilometers with more than 46,000 people, including 8,456 elderly people, accounting for more than 18% of the population, putting considerable pressure on the social security system. Despite difficulties in stabilizing the apparatus and unifying operations, the ward has completed the connection of 100 percent of elderly data to the National Database in the third quarter of 2025, helping to manage, care for health and pay benefits more accurately.

Health care work has achieved many results when the ward organized 12 periodic examinations for more than 6,800 elderly people, the total number of medical examinations and treatments using health insurance exceeded 28,000 visits; the program "Bright eyes for the elderly" performed 87 free cataract surgeries. However, remote areas still have limitations in human resources and medical facilities.

In the field of culture, sports and tourism, the ward maintains dozens of club models, in which the Intergenerational Self-Help model plays a core role; many elderly people still actively participate in heritage activities and community tourism. Social protection work ensures full payment for 1,830 subjects, no complaints arise; longevity greeting and birthday celebrations are organized for more than 910 people.

The elderly are deeply involved in social life with more than 1,100 people participating in Party, government and community reconciliation work; more than 300 people continue to work in accordance with their health. However, the ward still faces a rapid aging rate, a large area, a thin workforce and unsynchronized facilities. The ward proposed the Ministry of Health to support the construction of a 200-bed Elderly Care Center, training geriatric human resources; and requested the province to soon deploy unified management software and supplement resources for the cultural and heritage sector.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong asked about the health of the elderly being examined by a team of doctors and nurses in Tay Hoa Lu ward.

Things to do immediately to improve elderly care in Ninh Binh

In the afternoon of the same day, the Ministry of Health delegation worked with the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province. The report of Mr. Ngo Ngoc Quang - Deputy Director of the Department of Health of Ninh Binh province showed that after the merger from July 1, 2025, the whole province has 129 communes and wards with 775,678 elderly people, accounting for about 20% of the population, of which there are 623,934 members of the Elderly Association, reaching a rate of more than 80%.

According to Mr. Quang, Ninh Binh province has quickly reviewed the document system and issued many important policies such as Resolution 11/2025 on social assistance with a budget of more than 128.2 billion VND per year; Resolution 12/2025 on longevity wishes and celebrations for more than 85,688 elderly people with a total budget of over 38.1 billion VND; Plan 86 on implementing the National Strategy on the Elderly by 2035; Decision No. 939 on replicating the model of Intergenerational Self-Help Clubs.

"Ninh Binh province affirmed that it has integrated the goal of caring for the elderly into the socio-economic development plan and promoted socialization in health care and culture. The province also requested the Ministry of Health to increase resources for geriatrics, support human resource training, invest in geriatric departments in hospitals, consider allowances for elderly care staff and continue to support facilities to assist poor and lonely elderly people," said Mr. Quang.

The Ministry of Health delegation worked at the People's Committee of Tay Hoa Lu ward on the morning of December 9.

At the working session with the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee, the Ministry of Health's inspection team highly appreciated the locality's efforts in implementing work for the elderly after the merger, especially the synchronous issuance of policies, strong development of socialization models and maintenance of the Elderly Care Fund in 100% of communes and wards. Many charitable works to support the elderly in difficulty continued to be carried out, creating a highlight in social security activities.

However, besides the achieved results, the work for the elderly in Ninh Binh in general still has some difficulties that need to be solved in the coming time.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said that the work for the elderly in Ninh Binh, especially the rate of completion of the organization of the Elderly Association at the commune and ward levels, is still low; the specialized database on the elderly is not complete; the funding source for programs and plans related to the elderly is limited; propaganda work to raise awareness in the community needs to be strengthened; the rate of elderly people receiving periodic health check-ups is still not up to standard.

On behalf of the working delegation, the Deputy Minister requested the province to supplement a more complete report and focus on implementing important tasks such as promoting communication, raising awareness of the rights and roles of the elderly; strengthening social insurance inspection, mobilizing the elderly to fully participate in health insurance; reviewing the number of elderly people eligible for subsidies; planning the elderly care network; allocating appropriate resources and promoting the socialization of the elderly care system.

The Deputy Minister of Health also recommended that the province develop cultural institutions such as community centers and club models to help the elderly easily access infrastructure and social services; use funds related to the elderly for the right purposes and in accordance with regulations; and at the same time prepare adequate human resources, facilities and review the elderly health care system to better meet practical requirements.

The Ministry of Health delegation worked at the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee on the afternoon of December 9.

Concluding the working session, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong affirmed that the Ministry of Health and the National Committee on Aging will continue to accompany Ninh Binh province in the process of perfecting institutions, developing human resources and improving the quality of elderly care.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong expressed her belief that with the province's determination, the work of caring for and promoting the role of the elderly in Ninh Binh will achieve clear changes in the coming time.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/bo-y-te-kiem-tra-cong-tac-nguoi-cao-tuoi-tai-ninh-binh-nhieu-nhiem-vu-quan-trong-duoc-dat-ra-169251207172053498.htm