Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien (Photo:VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health (MoH) will continue maintaining a reasonably low birth rate nationwide, as well as taking measures to reduce the birth rate in rural and remote areas this year, according to the Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.
The sector will also actively control the gender ratio at birth and expand pre-natal and newborn screening as well as pre-marital health check-ups and consultations, in order to improve the population quality.
The ministry pledges to ensure high-quality and affordable family planning services and increase the use of modern contraceptive measures.
Vietnam has officially entered the ageing phase since 2011, Minister Tien said, adding that the sector has prepared suitable policies and action plans as well as implementing community-based elderly care in 29 provinces and cities nationwide.
Last year, Vietnam recorded an increase of 1.4 percent in the number of births, and 0.39 percent for the third child, against the previous year. The ratio of boys to girls nationwide was 112.8:100.
According to the MoH, the annual birth rate in the 2011-2015 period was kept at around 1.05 percent.
The country’s population last year was estimated at 91.7 million, lower than the expected rise of 93 million.-VNA
