Population work plays an essential rolein Vietnam’s national socio-economic development strategy, HealthMinister Nguyen Quoc Trieu has affirmed in writing to mark this year’sWorld Population Day.
Accordingly, population and family planning work has become one of thepillars of socio-economic development plans for all sectors andlocalities and has gradually gained the entire society’s enthusiasticsupport, as well as pledges from party committees and authorities atall levels across the country.
The work has contributed to easing the pressure of population growth onsocio-economic development, ensuring political security, socialwelfare, and easier access to effective healthcare and educationalservices, job placement and other social services.
While gains have been achieved, big challenges and difficulties stillremain ahead for the country to tackle, the Health Minister emphasised.
Vietnam’s population has reached about 86.5 million people, whichmakes the country the 13th most populous nation in the world, with apopulation density higher than the world’s average by six fold.
The birth-rate has been declining, but this is believed to beshort-term and unsustainable, and gender imbalance is likely to pose aheadache for the nation in future, with live births of males currentlyoutnumbering females (112 boys to every 100 girls).
Minister Trieu has also expressed concern that internal migration is onthe rise in the country, and that large numbers of people continuallyon the move cause complicated problems for local authorities.
In Vietnam , the Human Development Index (HDI) has been graduallyimproving, however, it still remains lower than other countries in theregion, the head of the nation’s ‘health watchdog’ noted.
He underscored to the need to promptly address the high infection ratesof sexually-transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, quality of lifeissues, and other healthcare problems.
To strive to reduce the birth-rate by 0.2/1,000 – a target assigned bythe National Assembly--the health minister said his sector plans tofocus on carrying out a project to control population growth in 28cities and provinces in coastal, island and sea areas along withpromoting awareness campaigns in these localities.
The sector has made preparations for the 2011-2020 National TargetPopulation-Family Planning Programme, and has targeted the adoption ofmodels and solutions to further improve the quality of population andfamily planning services, including projects to minimise the genderimbalance, discourage early marriage and marriages between bloodrelatives, which still take place in some northern mountainousprovinces and provinces in the Central Highlands.
It has also determined to develop and carry out a scheme that providespre-marriage medical check-ups and counselling and to continuestrengthening the central-to-local network of officials and healthworkers specialising in population and family planning work toaccomplish the assigned tasks in the field.
This year’s World Population Day’s theme is “Responding to the Economic Crisis: Investing in Women is a Smart Choice”./.
Accordingly, population and family planning work has become one of thepillars of socio-economic development plans for all sectors andlocalities and has gradually gained the entire society’s enthusiasticsupport, as well as pledges from party committees and authorities atall levels across the country.
The work has contributed to easing the pressure of population growth onsocio-economic development, ensuring political security, socialwelfare, and easier access to effective healthcare and educationalservices, job placement and other social services.
While gains have been achieved, big challenges and difficulties stillremain ahead for the country to tackle, the Health Minister emphasised.
Vietnam’s population has reached about 86.5 million people, whichmakes the country the 13th most populous nation in the world, with apopulation density higher than the world’s average by six fold.
The birth-rate has been declining, but this is believed to beshort-term and unsustainable, and gender imbalance is likely to pose aheadache for the nation in future, with live births of males currentlyoutnumbering females (112 boys to every 100 girls).
Minister Trieu has also expressed concern that internal migration is onthe rise in the country, and that large numbers of people continuallyon the move cause complicated problems for local authorities.
In Vietnam , the Human Development Index (HDI) has been graduallyimproving, however, it still remains lower than other countries in theregion, the head of the nation’s ‘health watchdog’ noted.
He underscored to the need to promptly address the high infection ratesof sexually-transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, quality of lifeissues, and other healthcare problems.
To strive to reduce the birth-rate by 0.2/1,000 – a target assigned bythe National Assembly--the health minister said his sector plans tofocus on carrying out a project to control population growth in 28cities and provinces in coastal, island and sea areas along withpromoting awareness campaigns in these localities.
The sector has made preparations for the 2011-2020 National TargetPopulation-Family Planning Programme, and has targeted the adoption ofmodels and solutions to further improve the quality of population andfamily planning services, including projects to minimise the genderimbalance, discourage early marriage and marriages between bloodrelatives, which still take place in some northern mountainousprovinces and provinces in the Central Highlands.
It has also determined to develop and carry out a scheme that providespre-marriage medical check-ups and counselling and to continuestrengthening the central-to-local network of officials and healthworkers specialising in population and family planning work toaccomplish the assigned tasks in the field.
This year’s World Population Day’s theme is “Responding to the Economic Crisis: Investing in Women is a Smart Choice”./.
