Join hands to take care of the elderly's health

PV: Could you please tell us how the Provincial Population Department has implemented the province-wide Elderly Healthcare Program during the first nine months of 2024?

Director Dao Anh Thai: In strict compliance with Decision No. 1579/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, the directives of the Ministry of Health, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee, and the Department of Health, over the past nine months, the Vinh Phuc Provincial Population Department has implemented two main contents simultaneously: Effectively disseminating, explaining, and organizing the implementation of tasks with high results at all three levels (provincial, district, city, and grassroots). Functional agencies, with the Provincial Population Department and the Provincial Representative Board of the Elderly Association as the core, have synchronously implemented activities.

Head of Sub-Department Dao Anh Thai

The Provincial Population Department has issued Plan No. 08/KH-CCDS, dated February 28, 2024, to implement the province-wide elderly healthcare program for 2024. In collaboration with the Provincial Elderly Association's Representative Board, they organized a conference to provide information and knowledge on elderly healthcare to nearly 200 officials from the Elderly Association at all levels. The Department, along with relevant provincial, district, and city agencies, conducted numerous awareness campaigns, workshops, and training sessions on counseling and caring for the elderly; integrated elderly healthcare activities into the activities of senior citizen clubs; and established elderly healthcare clubs, particularly focusing on preventing common diseases among the elderly. All facilities have intensified their efforts in disseminating information and providing guidance to ensure that the elderly receive knowledge and healthcare at home and in the community, and are capable of self-care.

In the first nine months of 2024, 100% of Party committees and government agencies at all levels invested budget in healthcare for the elderly; over 80,000 elderly people received regular health check-ups; 40% of the elderly were detected, treated, and managed for non-communicable diseases; 100% of the elderly who are unable to care for themselves received healthcare from their families and communities; nearly 50% of communes, wards, and towns had at least one elderly healthcare club and one volunteer team participating in elderly healthcare; over 10% of communes, wards, and towns met the criteria for an elderly-friendly environment…

Most primary health stations have improved their capacity to provide basic healthcare services and prevent non-communicable diseases for the elderly in their homes and communities. Currently, the province has over 186,300 elderly people with health insurance cards, reaching nearly 96% of the total elderly population; the province has one regional general hospital in Phuc Yen that has established a Geriatrics Department; at the district level, there are 9 medical examination facilities and 136 health stations (each with at least one doctor); the provincial general hospital has allocated and arranged separate treatment beds for the elderly; the entire province is promoting the development of a network of professional volunteers to participate in healthcare for the elderly…

PV: On the occasion of the "Month of Action for the Elderly in Vietnam" in 2024, could the Head of the Sub-Department please tell us about the tasks of caring for the health of the elderly in Vinh Phuc province in the last months of 2024 as well as preparing for 2025?

Chief of the Sub-Department, Dao Anh Thai: Healthcare for the elderly in Vinh Phuc province has achieved remarkable results over the years and in the first nine months of 2024, but challenges remain. While increased life expectancy is a significant achievement, the rapid pace of population aging poses enormous challenges, necessitating changes to the social security system, labor, employment, transportation, recreation, and especially the healthcare system for the elderly. The majority of elderly people in Vinh Phuc live in rural areas, facing the burden of multiple diseases; the primary healthcare system has not yet adapted to the rapid aging of the population…

However, the health of the elderly is a precious asset, highly valued and cared for by the Party and the State. Therefore, Vinh Phuc province always implements practical and effective solutions to care for the health of the elderly throughout the province, such as: strengthening the leadership and guidance of Party committees and authorities at all levels, and coordinating with all levels, sectors, and organizations to mobilize social organizations to participate in the work of caring for the health of the elderly; increasing investment in activities to care for the health of the elderly; improving the capacity of commune, ward, and town health stations in providing primary healthcare services and preventing infectious diseases for the elderly in their homes and communities; developing clubs and networks of volunteers to care for the health of the elderly; and promoting the dissemination and counseling of knowledge on maintaining the health of the elderly. Review and refine policies and laws to suit the province's actual situation regarding the care of the elderly in the area, in accordance with Decision 1579/QD-TTg dated October 13, 2020, of the Prime Minister, in order to proactively begin implementing tasks in 2025…

To create a strong impression of public concern and collective effort in caring for the health of the elderly, as well as to inspire the spirit and awareness of each elderly person to take care of their own health, during the "Month of Action for the Elderly in Vietnam" in 2024, districts and cities in the province enthusiastically organized the "Healthcare for the Elderly" competition…

PV: Thank you very much, Head of the Sub-Department!

Source: https://ngaymoionline.com.vn/chi-cuc-dan-so-tinh-vinh-phuc-chung-tay-cham-care-health-nguoi-cao-tuoi-55560.html