Ho Chi Minh City begins an unprecedented large-scale free health check-up campaign.

Ho Chi Minh City is implementing free health check-ups for all residents. Photo: Phuong Lam .

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just issued a plan to organize periodic health check-ups for residents in the city, aiming for all citizens to receive a free health check-up at least once a year and have their health managed through electronic records.

According to the plan, the program will be implemented in 168 wards, communes, and special zones from May 25th to December 31st. The beneficiaries are all Vietnamese citizens currently residing in Ho Chi Minh City, including permanent residents, temporary residents with confirmation on VNeID, and workers employed in the area.

Among these groups, the city gives special priority to the elderly, people with disabilities, war veterans, poor households, near-poor households, people with chronic diseases, children, students, workers, and informal workers.

For children under 2 years old, the city aims to organize routine health check-ups twice a year. Children under 6 years old will be checked at least once a year to monitor their growth and overall development.

The examination includes nutritional assessment, vaccination status check, weight, height, and head circumference measurement, a general physical examination, and assessment of physical and mental development. Children aged 16 to 30 months are also screened for the risk of autism spectrum disorder.

For students aged 6 to under 18, the health check-up focuses on early detection of school-related illnesses. Students undergo height and weight measurements, BMI calculation, vision tests, dental and maxillofacial examinations, ear, nose, and throat check-ups, mental health assessments, and screening for common issues such as refractive errors, scoliosis, malnutrition, or overweight and obesity.

For individuals aged 18 and older, the health check-up package includes several basic paraclinical tests. In addition to taking a medical history, measuring blood pressure, height, weight, and vital signs, individuals undergo a complete blood count, blood glucose test, liver function tests (AST, ALT), kidney function tests (urea, creatinine), urinalysis, and a chest X-ray.

Women, in particular, receive gynecological examinations and counseling for early detection of breast cancer and cervical cancer, in accordance with the professional guidelines of the Ministry of Health .

According to the plan, people can get examined at health stations, health centers, hospitals, or other qualified medical facilities. Schools, businesses, industrial parks, and export processing zones can also become mobile examination points to facilitate participation for students and workers.

For the elderly, those living alone, or those with mobility difficulties, the healthcare sector will organize home visits for examinations when necessary.

To support the program, Ho Chi Minh City will mobilize both the public and private healthcare systems. Hospitals and regional health centers will be assigned to specific areas, establishing mobile health check-up teams and providing professional support to grassroots levels when needed.

After the examination is completed, all results will be entered into the city's public health management platform and linked to electronic health records.

The healthcare sector expects that building a nationwide health database will help detect diseases early, manage chronic diseases at the community level, and reduce the burden of treatment in the future.

Source: https://znews.vn/tphcm-bat-dau-dot-kham-suc-khoe-mien-phi-lon-chua-tung-co-post1655917.html