Deputy Health MinisterNguyen Viet Tien said that Vietnam ’s population is getting old,while policies and programmes on healthcare for the elderly remainunchanged and unable to meet the rising demand.
He stressed the need to raise people’s awareness of population structureand quality, reduce early marriages and expand the coverage of healthinsurance.
Efforts must be focused on dealingwith an ageing population, improving health care for old people andincreasing their income, he added.
According toVietnam’s latest population census, there were more than 8.6 millionaged 60 years old and above in 2011, accounting for nearly 10 percentof the population, while the rate of over 65-year-olds was 7 percent.
Therefore, according to the United Nations,Vietnam entered the “ageing population” phase in 2011, 6 yearsearlier than predicted.
Vietnam’s populationreached 90 million on November 1, making the country the 14th mostpopulous country in the world and the 3rd largest in SoutheastAsia.-VNA