Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Population Authority under the Ministry of Health, speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi authorities have reiterated the city’s commitment to raising public awareness on gender equality, promoting appropriate marriage and childbirth ages, and enhancing access to reproductive health services at the grassroots level.
The municipal Department of Health held a ceremony on July 8 to mark the World Population Day (July 11). Themed “Reproductive Autonomy in a Changing World”, the event highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
Deputy Director of the Health Department Tran Van Chung emphasised the need for enhanced and integrated leadership over the implementation of the population policy in the new context, stronger communications, improved local services, and protection of reproductive rights.
The city has made notable progress over the past years, he noted, elaborating that it has maintained replacement-level fertility, raised the rates of pregnant women screened prenatally for the four most common congenital diseases to 85%, and increased the rate of newborns screened for the five most common congenital diseases to 90%.
The young people provided with pre-marital health check and advice now account for 82%. Meanwhile, the sex ratio at birth is gradually put under control. Hanoi has also introduced programmes for youth and elderly care, Chung added.
Le Thanh Dung, Director of the Ministry of Health's Population Authority, urged the city to continue advancing its population projects, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and ensure service delivery remains uninterrupted amid administrative restructuring./.