The Health Ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam have co-organised a two-day seminar in Hanoi on September 25-26 to examine international experience in issues relating to population ageing.
UNFPA Chief Representative Arthur Erken said that the phenomenon is taking place rapidly in developing countries, including Vietnam.
Statistics from a population survey in 2012 showed that Vietnam’s population has entered the “ageing phase” with the elderly accounting for 10.2 percent of the total population.
The ageing population will pose many challenges to Vietnam, including instable income, lack of social welfare and the limited capacity of the health care system.
Nearly 40 percent of elderly Vietnamese, mostly in rural areas, are still working; however, their incomes are low and 17 percent of them are living in poverty.
In recent years, the Vietnamese Government has incorporated issues relating to the elderly in most policies and programmes, but more needs to be done given the rapid increase of the elderly population.
During the two-day event, experts from China, Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Israel and Taiwan (China) are expected to present examples and programmes of their own countries to deal with the population ageing and address the concerns of the elderly.-VNA
UNFPA Chief Representative Arthur Erken said that the phenomenon is taking place rapidly in developing countries, including Vietnam.
Statistics from a population survey in 2012 showed that Vietnam’s population has entered the “ageing phase” with the elderly accounting for 10.2 percent of the total population.
The ageing population will pose many challenges to Vietnam, including instable income, lack of social welfare and the limited capacity of the health care system.
Nearly 40 percent of elderly Vietnamese, mostly in rural areas, are still working; however, their incomes are low and 17 percent of them are living in poverty.
In recent years, the Vietnamese Government has incorporated issues relating to the elderly in most policies and programmes, but more needs to be done given the rapid increase of the elderly population.
During the two-day event, experts from China, Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Israel and Taiwan (China) are expected to present examples and programmes of their own countries to deal with the population ageing and address the concerns of the elderly.-VNA
