(KPL/VNA) The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has issued a plan for health check-ups and early detection of non-communicable diseases among the elderly in the city from now until the end of this year and upcoming years.

Under the plan, people aged 60 and above in the city will get free health check-ups once a year. The cost of the health check-up will be paid by the city budget.

It aims to detect and manage non-communicable diseases among senior citizens.

The health check-up results will be integrated and updated into electronic health records to provide information to medical facilities.

Medical centres will coordinate with general hospitals and clinics to organise health check-ups for the elderly.

People diagnosed with non-communicable diseases will get treatment according to the instructions of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The city set a target of 80% of the elderly receiving regular health check-ups at least once a year.

As of June 30, the city has 1.7 million people aged 60 or above, accounting for more than 12% of the population, according to the city’s Department of Health.

The southern city is currently the locality with the fastest population aging rate in the country, posing many challenges in policy planning and implementation, especially in the fields of health care and social security.

KPL