Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh addresses the ceremony on July 9 marking the World Population Day (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi will increase activities toimprove its population quality in the time ahead, Deputy Director of themunicipal Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh stated on July 9.
Hanh, who is also deputy head of the city’ssteering board for population and family planning affairs, made the remark at aceremony held in Thanh Tri district to mark the World Population Day (July 11).
He further stressed Hanoi will step up communicationsto boost public consensus on population issues and also take measures togradually bring the sex ratio at birth to the natural level, capitalise on the“golden population structure”, adapt to population ageing, and ensureappropriate population distribution.
The official also reported the achievement ofpopulation and family planning targets for 2018, adding that the birth rate wasreduced by 0.17 per mille from the previous year to 15.13 per mille, the numberof third children born fell 0.1 percent, and the sex ratio at birth was 113males per 100 females.
While the prenatal screening rate reached 76percent of the pregnant women, the newborn screening rate rose to 84.1 percent.The city also carried out hearing screening for more than 193,390 cases,thalassemia screening for 7,500 cases and congenital heart defect screening foralmost 35,360 cases.
In the first half of 2019, the local sex ratio atbirth was brought down to 112.8 males per 100 females, the prenatal screeningrate reached 78.08 percent, and the newborn screening increased to 85.12percent.
Hanh said Hanoi has also expanded manypopulation-related models like those caring for reproductive health ofadolescents and youth, and those providing premarital advice and medicalexamination.
Relevant agencies and organisations have alsoworked to popularise knowledge about reproductive health, family planning andgender equality to workers in industrial parks and women of reproductive age,he added. -VNA
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