Vice President Thinh meets leaders and staff in population work

Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh hosted a meeting in Hanoi on December 26 for 67 outstanding leaders and practitioners in population work across the country, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the population and family planning sector (December 26, 1961 – December 26, 2016).

Vice President Thinh meets leaders and staff in population work

Vice President Thinh conveyed her best wishes and praised the achievements of the sector, along with 170,000 leaders and practitioners in population and family planning work across the country.

The Vice President stressed that the medical branch in general and population sector in particular have made large contributions to socio-economic development, poverty alleviation work and improving the lives of people.

In the context of rapid population ageing, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh asked the ministry to build action plans and specific measures on health care services for the elderly.

Meanwhile, it has continued strengthening pre-birth and newborn screenings, as well as pre-marriage consultation, while minimising the at-birth gender imbalance, calling for society’s engagement in providing birth control methods and reproductive health care services as well as improving population quality.

Looking forward, the Vice President asked the department to provide high-quality family planning services and popularise measures against unplanned pregnancy.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, population and family planning work in past times saw a number of achievements. The fertility rate was maintained, while the ratio of screened mothers and children increased, with fewer children born with disabilities and better health care services for teenagers, youth and the elderly.

(Source: NDO)