VN moves to deal with aging population

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The country has about 20 years left to prepare for the period from “aging population” to “aged population.” Social welfare policies, infrastructure and medical services should be improved to help the elderly enjoy the best they want to.

The 2009 Population and Housing Census predicted that by 2017, Viet Nam would enter the period of aging population in which over 65-year-old people account for 7% of population, said Duong Quoc Trong, General Director of the General Office for Population and Family Planning.

However, in 2011, 7% of Vietnamese population aged over 65 years old and 10% grew older than 60.

According to Dr. Trong, Viet Nam's family planning policy encourages a family having two children as maximum to tackle population growth. Robust socio-economic growth and better medical services allowed the fast-growing number of seniors.

Social welfare and medical services for the elderly, however, yet keep up with the rapid aging rate, said Thai Phuc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Welfare.

Of the nine million elderly people, only 4.8% have good health. Over 26.1% are not covered by healthcare insurance. Over 51% don’t have enough money to cover medical treatment.  

GOPFP Deputy General Director Nguyen Van Tan said society should pay more attention and take care of senior citizens by generating appropriate jobs for them especially in the fields of scientific research and teaching./.

By Kim Anh