DeputyPrime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is Chairman of the National Committee for theVietnamese Elderly, said that October was selected as the Action Month for theElderly to remind society about providing care for senior citizens andupholding their role.
Heattributed successes in the fight against COVID-19 to the efforts of the entiresystem and people from all walks of life, including the elderly.
Dam calledfor attention to healthcare for the elderly, as the Health Ministry’s figures showthat 54 percent suffer from high blood pressure, 42 percent live with rheumaticdisease and 20 percent with lung disease, and 18 percent have digestive disorders.
Apart frombuilding hospitals and medical establishments for the elderly, he said thehealth sector is also providing remote health check-ups and amending and supplementinghealth insurance policies.
ViceChairwoman of the National Committee for the Vietnamese Elderly and VAEChairwoman Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said this is the sixth year the action month hasbeen held.
With a differenttheme each year, the month focuses on pooling resources to care for theelderly, holding cultural-art-sports activities and contributing to improvingtheir material and spiritual lives.
The VAEmobilised 841.7 billion VND from 2015 to 2019, benefiting over 2 million seniorcitizens living in need.
To date,106 central and provincial-level hospitals have geriatric departments, withover 10,000 beds in total. Some 1.9 million elderly people have been provided withhealthcare knowledge, while 96 percent have health insurance cards.
Most hospitalsgive priority to those aged above 80. Several localities, like Bac Ninh, HungYen, and Vinh Phuc, earmark local budget funds for the purchase of healthinsurance for those aged 60-80./.