I have my own life, only occasionally returning home. Therefore, when Decision No. 1116 of the Prime Minister amended and supplemented Decision No. 1579, approving the Program for elderly health care until 2030, my whole family was happy.
According to the decision, from 2026, the elderly will have periodic health check-ups or free screenings at least once a year, and will be recorded for health monitoring and management. For many families, especially families of workers, freelancers, and people with medium or low incomes, the cost of health check-ups for parents is not always easy to arrange. Many elderly people, fearing spending money on their children and grandchildren, hide their illnesses, endure pain, and only go to the hospital when the illness is severe. One free check-up each year does not solve everything, but it is a very important door to detect diseases early and remind children and grandchildren to pay more attention to their parents' health.
Old age often goes hand in hand with silent illnesses. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia or cancer are not always clearly manifested from the beginning. Some elderly people still say "I'm healthy", still go to the market, cook rice, look after grandchildren, but inside their bodies already have abnormal indicators. If they do not have regular check-ups, do not have health records to monitor, families can easily ignore important signs. When detected late, treatment costs are higher, recovery rates are lower, and the burden weighs on both patients and their children and grandchildren.
Taking care of the elderly's health cannot be just a private matter of each family. No matter how filial children are, they cannot replace a professional, accessible, and accessible care system. Not every child has medical knowledge to recognize signs of dementia in their parents. Not every family has the conditions to take their parents to remote examinations. Not every elderly person knows how to use medicine, eat, exercise or manage chronic diseases.
Therefore, the goal of having geriatric hospitals or general hospitals with geriatric specialists in all localities by 2030 is very necessary. Elderly people need to be examined and treated by doctors who understand the characteristics of old age. A prescription for the elderly is not the same as a prescription for young people. A piece of advice on nutrition, exercise, rehabilitation or spiritual care for the elderly also needs personal understanding. When the geriatric health system is strengthened, the elderly will be better cared for, and children and grandchildren will also feel more secure.
The policy has opened up a right direction, but the important thing is to implement it substantively. Free health check-ups should not just be a form of measuring blood pressure, asking a few questions and then ending. Health records should not just be on paper. Elderly people's clubs should not just be a movement. Daycare facilities should not only be in a few pilot places. Elderly people in rural, mountainous, worker zones, and difficult areas must also have equal access to policies.
Everyone will get old. Today's policy for our parents is also policy for ourselves in the future. Policy for the elderly is one of the measures for a developing country, so that each old age is not a silent worry, but years of being cared for, respected and living peacefully.
