On April 5, the area of Thong Nhat Park and Tran Nhan Tong pedestrian street (Hanoi) became bustling when thousands of people flocked to participate in the Health Day and the "For a Healthy Vietnam" race. This is a large-scale community health campaign, providing free disease screening services for about 10,000 people. The event is organized by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Vietnam Young Physicians Association to respond to the National Health Day.
Receiving information from the residential group, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Minh (Vinh Hung ward, Hanoi) participated in the festival to be examined for free. Here, she received many services such as ultrasound, X-ray, blood sugar check-up. Ms. Minh said that she previously paid little attention to periodic health check-ups, but through this check-up, she discovered some issues that needed to be monitored.
I don't go for regular check-ups, but today I had a lung X-ray and thyroid ultrasound. After examination, the doctor discovered that the thyroid gland had a nodule. When examining bones and joints, mild osteoporosis was also detected," Ms. Minh shared.
In parallel with general examination activities, the mobile vehicle area for cervical cancer screening becomes a highlight of the festival when attracting a large number of women to participate. Access to screening services right in the community helps many people proactively check their reproductive health for the first time.
After measuring blood sugar, bone examination and lung examination, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien (Hanoi) was prescribed a cervical cancer screening by a doctor. Ms. Lien said that she used to be reluctant to go for health check-ups, but through this activity, she realized that she needed to pay more attention to her health.
At the age of pre-menopause, I often have abdominal pain and pelvic pain. The pain is simmering for 2-3 days and then disappears, so I was subjective and did not go for an examination. Today, talking to the doctor, I was prescribed cervical cancer screening to detect it early if I unfortunately get sick. I hope this activity will be maintained annually so that many people have the opportunity to be examined," Ms. Lien said.
According to BSCKI Vo Thi Bich Ngoc (NTD AI Healthcare Technology Joint Stock Company), the festival aims to encourage people to have periodic health check-ups to detect diseases early, change their thinking from "if there is disease, then cure" to proactive screening and control of risk factors, especially for non-communicable diseases in the elderly. At the same time, the event contributes to raising awareness about the role of physical training and reasonable nutrition.
In fact, many people who come for examination have never undergone cervical cancer screening before, often only go for examination when symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, foul-smelling or bloody vaginal discharge, pelvic pain... appear.
Doctors recommend that women should proactively prevent cervical cancer by injecting HPV vaccine in the age group of 9-45. Do not wait until there are abnormal symptoms to go for examination. Cervical cancer screening is recommended for all women aged 21-65 who have had sex, even when there are no symptoms.
The festival not only brings opportunities to access quality medical services right in the community, but also contributes to changing people's health care habits. Proactive periodic check-ups and screenings help detect diseases early, improve treatment effectiveness and reduce the burden of costs. From the actual effectiveness, such activities are expected to continue to be replicated, contributing to building a healthy community, proactively preventing diseases early on.
