Only by worrying about kindness do I dare to give birth
According to the Department of Population (DS), Ministry of Health, after the merger of administrative boundaries, the whole country currently has 13/34 provinces and cities with a birth rate below the replacement level - that is, less than 2.1 children per woman, Vinh Long has a birth rate below 1.6 children/woman.
Ms. Le Kim Hoa in Phu Quoi commune said that she and her husband work as a construction worker, with unstable income for each project. Although her first daughter is 5 years old, the couple still cannot save enough to consider having more children.
According to Ms. Hoa, monthly spending must be sparing, especially the cost of kindergarten and milk for children has "swallowed" almost all of their income. In the past, our parents gave birth to 4-5 children, but at that time the cost was not as good as it is now.
"Children are from heaven, but you have to worry about good things to dare to give birth. I just hope to give my children enough education, not to leave them like my parents forced me to work early. Raising a child is still difficult," Ms. Hoa added.
Unlike Ms. Hoa, Mr. Nguyen Duy An (29 years old, living in Long Chau ward) and his wife chose to have a child because they wanted to have more time for themselves and develop their careers.
Mr. An is a programmer, and his wife is a bank employee. Both have stable jobs and a good standard of living, but still have no intention of having more children.
"We want to spend more time with our children, and also need to keep separate space for each person. Having two or three children was a mandatory condition in the past, but now it is not, he shared.
Mr. An believes that the younger generation no longer applies the model of having many children of the previous generation, because the lifestyle, costs and parenting methods have changed a lot.
"Even if I have only one child, when I am cared for, educated and exposed to a good environment, it is still a success," said Mr. An.
Reward for money or gifts when giving birth to 2 children
Talking to Lao Dong, Dr. Ho Thi Thu Hang - Director of Vinh Long Department of Health said that Vinh Long province currently has a birth rate of less than 1.6 children/woman, belonging to the group of localities with worryingly low birth rates.
This is a situation that needs to be taken seriously, because if it continues, it will affect the population size, population structure and the quality of human resources in the future.
Ms. Hang believes that having as many children is the right of each family, but with the current low birth rate, if there is no timely support policy, society will face the risk of labor shortage, rapid population aging and great pressure on social security.
To improve the birth rate in the locality, the Vinh Long health sector is coordinating with relevant units to develop communication solutions and provide specific support to the people.
Strengthen communication and consultation to raise awareness, especially in the group of reproductive age and families with only one child.
Implement Circular 01/2021/TT-BYT dated January 25, 2021 of the Ministry of Health on guiding a number of contents for localities to issue reward and support policies for collectives and individuals who have performed well in population work.
"The Vinh Long Health Sector is carrying out the process of advising on the issuance of a resolution to reward and support individuals who have successfully implemented the campaign to have 02 children," Ms. Hang added.
