Accelerating free health checkups for citizens

To date, nearly 2.5 million people in Dong Nai have received periodic health checkups or free screenings, accounting for more than 55% of the city's population.

In an interview with the reporter from Dong Nai Newspaper and Radio, Television, Specialist Level II Doctor Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, said that the health sector, in coordination with other departments, agencies, and localities, is urgently accelerating free health checkups for citizens to meet the set targets.

Disease groups requiring attention through screening

• Based on practical experience in conducting health checkups for citizens, what disease groups and risk factors has the health sector identified as being of particular concern in the community?

Specialist Level II Doctor Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health

– One of the key objectives of periodic health checkups and free screenings is to help citizens detect diseases at an early stage. Through examinations, the health sector has found that many people suffer from metabolic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular conditions.

For children and students, screenings have detected many cases of school-related conditions such as refractive errors, dental problems, and spinal curvature and deformities. The screenings have also enabled the early detection of certain mental health issues, autism, and other disorders. Based on these findings, the health sector provides guidance and counseling and makes necessary referrals to specialists for treatment. At the same time, we are raising public awareness of disease prevention and healthcare.

• What are the benefits of creating and updating Electronic Health Books on VNeID for citizens and the health sector?

– Once created, Electronic Health Books will store citizens' health data throughout their healthcare journey. Medical staff at healthcare facilities can access this information when needed. This is also an important source of data for professional agencies to analyze, synthesize, and use for research, policy planning, and the development of appropriate healthcare strategies.

• What difficulties and obstacles have arisen during the implementation of universal free health checkups?

– To organize health checkups for the entire population, we must first review, aggregate, and categorize the target groups. Next, we must allocate funding and train and organize personnel with sufficient capacity. Most importantly, this requires coordination among many departments, agencies, units, and localities.

To create Electronic Health Books, every citizen needs a smartphone and a level-2 VNeID account. However, some elderly people, vulnerable populations, and children do not yet have access to one or both of these.

In some localities, the involvement of the entire political system has been uneven. In some places, Party committees, authorities, and coordinating forces have taken strong and determined action, while in other places, attention has not been given properly. Therefore, the health sector continues to strengthen guidance, support, and communication so that citizens clearly understand the significance of this program. In communes and wards, the current workload is very heavy. Some health stations have limited personnel, especially doctors.

An employee of Dong Nai Children's Hospital receives a periodic health checkup.

Determined to achieve the set goals

• What solutions will the health sector focus on to accelerate progress and achieve the goal of universal health checkups this year?

– We have identified September and October as the two peak months, which will be decisive for the progress of the program. During this period, the health sector will advise the Dong Nai City People's Committee to focus on several key tasks.

We will prioritize and expedite health checkups for employees at enterprises. For businesses that have planned to organize checkups later in the year due to their particular production requirements, the health sector will encourage them to arrange the health checkups earlier.

For officials, civil servants, public employees, and workers at state agencies and units, the completion rate is currently about 65%, with the goal of completing the checkups in September and October. For preschool and general education students, health checkups at the beginning of the school year must be completed for 100% of students before October 1.

A doctor from Dong Nai Children's Hospital conducts a health checkup for a student at Lac Hong Bilingual School. Photo: Hanh Dung

In addition, the health sector will establish 100 fixed sites in localities to provide free health examinations to make it more convenient for citizens to access services. We will also establish mobile health examination teams drawn from commune and ward health stations to reach every residential area and household, particularly vulnerable groups.

Regarding enterprises, the Department of Health has advised the City People's Committee to assign relevant units to coordinate in reviewing, listing, and urging implementation. The Dong Nai Industrial Parks and Economic Zones Authority​ will urge businesses within those zones to carry out the program; the Department of Industry and Trade will urge businesses under its management; while commune and ward People's Committees will coordinate with small businesses in their respective areas.

Recently, the health sector has organized training, capacity building, and certification for more than 500 doctors at commune and ward health stations so that each station has two to three doctors qualified to conduct periodic health checkups and free screenings for citizens.

• Do you have any message for citizens and the forces participating in this particularly important program?

– Periodic health checkups and free screenings are policies of practical significance to citizens' health. I hope every citizen recognizes that this is beneficial to themselves and proactively coordinates with local authorities and the health sector to undergo full health checkups and properly follow the advice and guidance of medical staff.

To achieve the goal of having 100% of citizens receive periodic health checkups or free screenings once a year, the cooperation of the entire political system, departments, sectors, mass organizations, social organizations, businesses, and citizens is essential. The health sector appreciates the support and coordination of agencies and units in the past, and we hope to continue receiving even greater attention and coordination in the coming period to help the city achieve its set goals.

By Hanh Dung – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha