Hundreds of needy elders get free health check-ups
The Ministry of Health (MoH) along with the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) and Hong Ngoc General Hospital provided free health check-ups and medicines for 200 poor patients.
Old people receive free health check-ups (Illustrative image. Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)༺ – The Ministry of Health (MoH) along with the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) and Hong Ngoc General Hospital provided free health check-ups and medicines for 200 poor patients, including old people, in Hanoi’s Phuc Tho district on December 15.
Director of Hong Ngoc General Hospital Cao Doc Lap said the charitable activity aims to help needy patients gain access to international medical equipment.
He revealed that the hospital will continue to coordinate with leading experts from the US to conduct the 4th surgery for children with congenital deformities.
The examination is in response to the national action month on population and Vietnam ’s Population Day (December 26) themed “Community join hands to take care of the elderly”.
On December 16, the MoH and KCOMWEL will hold a workshop to share information in medical technology as part of the project supporting the development of health sector in Asian countries.
The panels are expected to share strategic cooperation opportunities between Vietnamese and Korean hospitals in improving public healthcare services.
According to the United Nations, Vietnam is the 13th most populous in the world and eighth in Asia , with rapid aging population. The ratio of old people increased quickly to 10.5 percent in 2013 from 7.1 percent in 1989.
The country has entered the aging period since 2011, six years quicker than estimated. It might take about 20 years for Vietnam to transfer from an aging population to an aged one.
Deputy Health Minister Pham Le Tuan said the number of people aged above 60 years will make up 18.3 percent of the national population by 2030, doubling that of present.
According to the latest national population survey, only 4.8 percent of elderly Vietnamese enjoy good or very good health, while as many as 65.4 percent are weak or very weak. More worrisome, their access to health care services is limited as 26.1 percent do not hold any kind of health insurance and more than 51 percent cannot afford treatment costs – which are 7-10 times that of youngsters.-VNA
As many as 700 impoverished individuals, war veterans and orphans in two communes of the Phuc Tho district in Hanoi received free health check-ups thanks to a campaign from February 25-26.
For more than 20 years, Dang Thi Nhan, 67, has been waking up about 30 minutes earlier each day to bake cakes or prepare tea for two retired doctors in a clinic near her house in Hanoi's Giap Bat ward
Leading ophthalmology experts shared their experiences in preventing blindness and treating eye diseases at the 2025 Ophthalmology Conference in Hanoi on August 8-9.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
Old people receive free health check-ups (Illustrative image. Photo: VNA)
