On May 6, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra signed Directive No. 17 on organizing free periodic health checkups or screenings for the public.

Under the directive, the Government asked secretaries of provincial and municipal Party Committees and required chairpersons of provincial and municipal People’s Committees to urgently lead and direct the implementation of free periodic health checkups or screenings in line with Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW.

The Government ordered the Ministry of Health to continue reviewing and issuing guidance for agencies and localities on organizing free periodic health checkups and screenings for citizens, ensuring that the work is effective, feasible and able to meet the stated goals.

In May, the Ministry of Health must guide medical facilities in creating and managing electronic health records, ensuring data connection and interoperability, and integrating the system into the VNeID app. The ministry must also develop and issue output data standards for free periodic health checkups and screenings to ensure unified management and synchronized data sharing with the social insurance database.

Provincial-level People’s Committees have been assigned to build plans and direct, guide and coordinate the implementation of free periodic health checkups and screenings for residents in their localities according to specific target groups.

Priority groups include people with meritorious service, older adults, people with disabilities, members of poor and near-poor households, people with chronic diseases, and residents in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, economically disadvantaged and especially disadvantaged areas, border regions and islands, in accordance with Ministry of Health guidance.

Provinces also need to combine checkups at commune-level health stations and medical facilities with mobile medical examination campaigns in communities, residential areas, remote and isolated areas, difficult and especially difficult areas, border regions and islands.

In recent times, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security and several localities such as Hanoi, HCM City and Tuyen Quang have proactively developed plans, allocated resources and organized free periodic health checkups or screenings for residents. These efforts have helped spread awareness of health protection, encourage proactive disease prevention and improve public health.

Vo Thu