This policy is receiving great attention from society. Not only because this is a noteworthy social security policy, but also because it touches the very ordinary needs of each citizen: to have an early health check-up to feel secure in studying, working and reducing the burden of medical treatment later.
For many years, many people have only come to the hospital when their bodies have shown obvious symptoms. Some people are busy, some are afraid of spending money, and some are subjective and think they are still healthy. However, reality shows that many dangerous diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer or high blood pressure often progress silently. When detected late, treatment costs are not only expensive but also greatly affect the quality of life of patients and their families.
Organizing free periodic health check-ups at least once a year is considered a step that is more meaningful for prevention than cure. The policy of free periodic health check-ups is expected to help people change their habits, proactively monitor their health instead of just going to the hospital when the body has spoken out.
Ministries, branches, and localities must soon prepare human resources, equipment and facilities to deploy free health check-ups for all people; students will be examined right at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year. The examination results will be updated to the Electronic Health Record on VNeID, helping people track medical examination and treatment history and support doctors to continuously assess health.
In the context of strongly promoting digital transformation, electronic health data also opens up opportunities for more effective health management. A resident in the countryside or city can store unified health information, limiting the loss of records or having to re-test many times unnecessarily. This is something that many countries have implemented for a long time and shown clear effectiveness.
It is noteworthy that this plan does not only stop at the general direction but has begun to move into specific preparation steps.
According to the plan approved by the Ministry of Health from 2026, priority will be given to periodic health check-ups or free screenings at least once a year for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, poor households, near-poor households, people with chronic diseases, people with meritorious services or people living in remote, isolated, island, and difficult areas.
Regular health check-ups should not only stop at detecting diseases, but also contribute to forming a habit of proactive health care in the community. When each person knows how to care about their body early, society will reduce the burden of disease and long-term medical costs.
However, for this policy to be effective, what people need is not only "free" but also quality and convenience in medical examination and treatment. The examination process needs to be quick, avoid overload, formality, or make it meet the targets. The most important thing is to detect disease risks early, provide treatment advice, and transfer to a higher level when needed.
To deploy synchronously in practice, the health sector still needs more human resources, equipment and appropriate funding, especially at the grassroots level. Policies also need to be implemented uniformly, avoiding the situation where some places do well and some places do it formally.
