VietNamNet Bridge – A top family welfare official on July 23 urged the HCM City Population and Family Planning Division to soon submit plans for expanding a project on community-based healthcare for seniors to the HCM City People's Council to get approval and funds.


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People's councils in 21 provinces and cities have approved expansion of Community-based Health Care Services for Old People, Pham Nang An of the General Office for Population and Family Planning, told a workshop in HCM City.

Older people have a big need for healthcare and psychological counselling services, he added.

A survey of 300 senior people in Districts 10, 11, 12, Go Vap, Tan Phu, and Hoc Mon conducted by the HCM City Population and Family Planning Division found that 55 per cent of them needed health counselling.

Pham Thi My Le, the division's deputy head, said the expansion plans would be submitted to the People's Council once the city Department of Health approves them.

The project began in a commune each in six city districts in 2013 and expanded to the remaining 18 districts this year.

Old People Helping The Old People clubs and teams of volunteers who provide care for elderly people living alone or have financial difficulties have been set up.

The clubs have attracted 755 members while there are 349 volunteers of various ages who help more than 400 old people.

The clubs and teams co-operate with doctors at local health centres to examine and treat their wards.

Besides this project, the city also has many other health care programmes for the old since laws on old people came into effect in 2010. The city also has a fund for the care of the old.

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy head of the Department of Health, said the department is submitting to the People's Committee a VND9.2 billion (US$438,100) project for examination and treatment of elderly people at district health centres.

As of last year the city had 497,561 people aged 60 and above, accounting for 6.26 per cent of the total population, according to the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

VNS/VNN