Most populous but lowest birth rate: Ho Chi Minh City adjusts population policy in the new period

SKĐS - Ho Chi Minh City is facing two major challenges: the lowest birth rate in the country and a rapidly aging population. The city has proposed a series of synchronous solutions from improving the quality of population services to developing geriatrics, expanding prenatal and newborn screening and innovating communication.

The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a Plan to implement Conclusion No. 149-KL/TW of the Politburo on promoting the implementation of Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee on population work in the new situation in the locality.

Accordingly, the City will focus on synchronous solutions from policies, communications to improving service quality and human resources, to improve birth rates, adapt to population aging and ensure long-term health for people in the largest urban area in the country.

Incorporate population targets into the City's development strategy

According to the plan, Ho Chi Minh City will further strengthen the Party's leadership in population work. Population targets will be integrated into resolutions and work programs of each level of government, while monitoring and inspection of implementation will be strengthened.

The city will also improve population policies and laws; study mechanisms to encourage having two children; supplement policies for elderly care; support population collaborators and ensure people have full access to essential social services.

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City will synchronously deploy solutions to improve the quality of the population service network, strengthen human resources, develop geriatric specialties, enhance research, allocate sufficient resources and perfect the population apparatus organization in a streamlined and effective direction.

Periodic health check-up for the elderly at Truong Tho medical station, Thu Duc ward, HCMC.

Strongly innovate communication work on population

In particular, propaganda work on population policies and guidelines will be innovated in the direction of taking advantage of digital media, diversifying content and forms, focusing on issues of low birth rate, gender imbalance at birth, reproductive health care, adapting to population aging and promoting the role of the elderly.

"The plan aims to thoroughly grasp and seriously and synchronously implement, promote the combined strength of the political system and all classes of people, strengthen inter-sectoral coordination between departments, branches, sectors and establishments in organizing the implementation of Conclusion No. 149-KL/TW" - Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee stated clearly in the recently issued plan.

Notably, the plan also aims to emphasize the dissemination and popularization of Conclusion 149-KL/TW to cadres and people to create unified awareness and raise responsibility, especially in the orientation of shifting the focus of population policy from family planning to population and development.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has assigned the Department of Health to preside over and coordinate with departments, branches, sectors, People's Committees of wards, communes, and special zones to develop and submit to competent authorities for promulgation plans, programs, projects, etc., and at the same time organize and effectively implement solutions to improve low birth rates and improve population quality.

In addition, establish and gradually expand the network of services providing screening, diagnosis, and treatment of some prenatal and neonatal diseases and disabilities; pre-marital health check-ups; adapt to the issue of "population aging" and effectively control the sex ratio at birth. Strengthen solutions for health management of the city's people; train and develop medical human resources; initially complete the establishment of electronic health records for people throughout the area.

According to Mr. Pham Chanh Trung - Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Population Department, this locality currently has a population of 14 million people, still holding the most populous position in the country, with an area of ​​6,772 km2, population density of 2,068 people/km2.

One of the 'burning' problems of Ho Chi Minh City in the population field is the lowest birth rate in the country with the average number of children of a woman of reproductive age being 1.42.

Ho Chi Minh City is also facing an aging population with the proportion of people over 60 years old accounting for 10.5%.

However, the City is still in the "golden population" period when the working-age population ratio reaches 70.6%, which is an important resource to promote socio -economic development.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/dong-dan-nhat-nhung-muc-sinh-thap-nhat-tphcm-dieu-chinh-lai-chinh-sach-dan-so-trong-giai-doan-moi-169251115054018472.htm