The Department of Population under the Ministry of Health organized a workshop on Friday to guide the development of a pilot project for a day-time healthcare facility for the elderly in Da Nang.

Delegates attending the workshop.

The event was attended by Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Department of Population under the Ministry of Health; Ms. Phung Thi Huong Hanh, Head of the Bureau of Population of Da Nang; representatives of the municipal Department of Health; and leading experts and leaders of a number of hospitals in the city, district-level medical centres, and district-level chapters of the municipal Elderly Association.

During the workshop, leading experts in the field of population and the elderly shared their experiences in developing daycare facilities for the elderly from several countries worldwide, and presented a pilot project on the day care healthcare facility model for the elderly in Da Nang.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Department of Population under the Ministry of Health speaking at the workshop.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, said that Viet Nam is one of the countries with the fastest aging rate in the world. Viet Nam is entering the aging population period when the proportion of elderly people will increase to 20.21% by 2038. Increased life expectancy is one of the achievements in socio-economic development in general and health care in particular. However, rapid population aging poses many problems, including the healthcare system for the elderly.

Meanwhile, the elderly healthcare system and community-based elderly healthcare have not adapted to the aging population because there are no types of community-based elderly healthcare facilities suitable for the characteristics of the elderly in the country, she noted.

Ms. Thom added that the Department of Population is advising the Ministry of Health to guide the piloting of the Daytime Elderly Health Care Facility Model in a bid to meet the needs of elderly healthcare and be suitable for local conditions.

The pilot implementation of the model will contribute to realising the Elderly HealthCare Programme Plan by 2030 in Da Nang. In particular, the number of districts to pilot and develop the Daytime HealthCare Centre model for the Elderly will reach 20% by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

Reporting by THANH HA - Translating by M.DUNG