More than 1,000 Hai Phong residents received health check-ups and digestive disease screening.

More than 1,000 residents of the Port City received free health check-ups. Photo: HIEN HIEU

The program provides free health check-ups and digestive disease screening services for people aged 25-45, in the context of digestive diseases, especially cancer, tending to rapidly rejuvenate in Vietnam.

Hai Phong is the first locality to launch the series of “Healthy Living Every Day 2025” festivals with the theme For a truly healthy Vietnam. The port city has a large number of young workers working in industrial zones, with shift work and time pressure, leading to hasty eating habits - factors that increase the risk of digestive diseases. Therefore, the free health check-up program is organized as an activity to support health care for the people.

From early morning, people lined up to register for medical examination, mostly young people, office workers, workers, young civil servants... A team of more than 70 doctors and nurses from central and local hospitals directly examined with many activities such as: general examination, abdominal ultrasound, blood test, screening for dangerous symptoms, nutritional counseling and healthy physical activities...

The new feature of this year's program is the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosis, using questionnaire data and rapid test results to assess the risk of non-communicable diseases and the risk of gastrointestinal cancer.

Ms. Pham Thuy Hien, a resident of Hai Phong city, suffers from acid reflux after eating and occasional stomach pain but has never gone to the doctor. “I usually finish work late and work late, so I eat at irregular times and have a stomach ache. Every time I have a stomach ache, I buy medicine to take quickly, not knowing exactly what is wrong with me. Today, the doctor explained clearly and prescribed an endoscopy for a more thorough examination, I feel more worried about my health. If I had gone to the doctor myself, I probably wouldn't have dared because of the high cost,” Ms. Hien shared.

People are given many general health check-ups. Photo: HIEN HIEU

Mr. Do Duc Chinh, Deputy Secretary of the Hai Phong City Youth Union, said that the program has practical significance for a city with a large number of young workers and industrial park workers. Not everyone has the conditions or time for regular health check-ups. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Young Physicians Association and Manulife brought the "Healthy Living Every Day 2025" Festival to Hai Phong to help people access quality medical services without being hindered by cost. The program also helped young people here to be more aware of taking care of their digestive system, something that many people were previously subjective about.

Doctors said that during the examination day in Hai Phong, the number of young people with digestive problems was quite high, partly reflecting the current situation of digestive diseases getting younger. Master, pharmacist Nguyen Huu Tu, Permanent Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Young Physicians Association, said that many young people in Hai Phong had never had a general examination or digestive screening before, even though they had persistent symptoms. He emphasized that early screening helps facilitate treatment, especially for stomach and colon cancer. This is also the reason why regular screening in young people is increasingly recommended.

Manulife's "Healthy Living Ambassadors" guide people at the event. Photo: HIEN HIEU

In recent years, gastrointestinal cancer, including stomach, colorectal, and esophageal cancer, has become one of the fastest growing disease groups in Vietnam. More worryingly, the disease has a clear tendency to become younger, with many cases recorded at the age of 30-40, when the patient is still in the most vigorous stage of working age and contributing to society. Most patients come to the hospital at a late stage, due to vague initial symptoms and the habit of not actively screening regularly.

The event in Hai Phong is the starting point of the series “Healthy Living Day Every Day 2025”, in the campaign “ Choose GREEN for HEALTH – For a truly healthy Vietnam ”. After Hai Phong, the event will continue to take place in Thanh Hoa, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The program not only provides free medical examinations for the community but also contributes to raising awareness of health care and encouraging people to proactively prevent diseases early.