Information at the meeting on the implementation of the Plan for periodic health check-ups for people in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026, Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that as of June 7, the whole city has conducted health check-ups for 182,554 people.
Of which, 61,559 people underwent screening and 120,995 people underwent periodic health check-ups. The group that received the most check-ups was the elderly with 51,811 people, followed by children under 6 years old with 44,055 people. For the group aged 18 and over, 20,394 people have been checked since the program officially started on May 25.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, the program is implemented based on the directions of the Central Government, the Government and the Ministry of Health, with the goal of bringing health care services closer to the people, while changing perceptions from "examination when sick" to proactive disease prevention.
The Department of Health has issued unified professional guidelines, organized human resource training, assigned hospitals and health centers to be in charge of each area, and at the same time strengthened inspection and supervision to ensure the quality of health check-ups. Data is entered directly at the check-up point and synchronized to the electronic health management platform.
By June 15, some localities achieved outstanding results in the number of people participating in health check-ups such as An Nhon Tay commune with 9,419 people, Ba Diem commune with 7,653 people and Tan Tao ward with 3,548 people. According to the Department of Health, this is the result of proactiveness in organizing and mobilizing people to participate in the program at the grassroots level.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung assessed that initially the program has achieved positive results, especially in priority groups such as the elderly and children. The operation of the electronic health record system, connected to the CDS and VNeID applications, will create a foundation for health management of people according to the life cycle in the coming time.
Ho Chi Minh City aims to mobilize the entire political system to participate, promote communication and reach each target group, especially the elderly, people with disabilities, workers and vulnerable groups, to ensure that all people have access to free periodic health check-ups.
Regarding education, the Department of Health has coordinated with the Department of Education and Training and related units to review and adjust the plan to organize health check-ups for students. Accordingly, the assignment of responsibilities between the education sector and local authorities is clarified to ensure that all children, students, and pupils have access to the periodic health check-up program according to the plan.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, for the program to be successful, localities need to implement the motto "going through each alley, knocking on each door, screening each target group", paying special attention to the elderly, people with disabilities, freelancers and vulnerable groups. The health sector will also flexibly organize out-of-hours, weekend or home examination points for those who have difficulty accessing medical facilities, thereby bringing healthcare services closer to the people.
Mr. Dung affirmed that the ultimate goal of the program is not only to provide health check-ups for people but also to change perceptions from "check-ups when sick" to proactive disease prevention, early detection and long-term health management right in the community.
