Vietnam has made remarkable progress in taking care of the elderly and actively implementing laws and policies in this field.
The successes were reported in a meeting in Hanoi on September 11, which aimed to review the state of elderly care during the first half of 2014.
According to a report by the National Committee on Aging, all the provinces and cities nationwide paid special attention to caring for the elderly.
As many as 46 out of 63 localities set up gerontology departments in their general hospitals, where more than 2 million elderly patients have received regular medical check-ups during the reviewed period, participants heard.
Representatives from the Committee proposed that relevant ministries and sectors look into developing special policies to provide assistance for the elderly suffered from fatal diseases, as well as to provide free medical check-ups and treatment for people aged 80 and above via the national health insurance system.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the Committee, asked relevant units to continue implementing the Law on the Elderly and improving the implementation of policies in the field.
He also highlighted the need for relevant ministries, agencies and localities to coordinate to promote the role of the elderly, and to enhance communication efforts to raise public awareness on the responsibility to look after the elderly.
The Vietnam Association of the Elderly was asked to work with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to effectively implement measures benefitting the elderly and mobilise local funds to provide better care for the elderly.-VNA
