At the Congress of Delegates of the Vietnam Society of Gender Medicine for the IV term (2026-2031) held concurrently with the 15th Annual Scientific Conference of the Vietnam Society of Gender Medicine (VSSM) on July 25, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said: the development of Gender Medicine not only improves the quality of treatment but also contributes to the implementation of population goals, improving the quality of human resources and comprehensive health care as Vietnam enters the aging population phase.
According to Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, the Population Law and important resolutions of the Central Government have opened up a new legal corridor for population and health care work.
Currently, population work focuses on 4 key policy groups including maintaining the replacement fertility rate, reducing gender imbalance at birth, adapting to population aging and improving population quality. Among them, two goals closely related to Gender Medicine are reducing gender imbalance at birth and improving population quality.
According to the Ministry of Health, gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam has appeared since 2006 and is still at a high level. In the period 2021-2024, the sex ratio at birth reached about 112 boys/100 girls, higher than the natural balance (104-106). Many northern and North Central provinces recorded a ratio of nearly 120 boys/100 girls, while the southern provinces fluctuated at 105-108 boys/100 girls.
The Deputy Minister said that although the sex ratio at birth has tended to improve, Vietnam is still in the group of countries with high imbalances compared to natural laws. At the same time, the rate of population aging is among the fastest in the world, requiring the health system to adapt soon.
Gender medicine not only contributes to improving the quality of treatment but also plays an important role in implementing population goals, improving the quality of human resources and comprehensive health care in the context of Vietnam entering a period of population aging," Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen emphasized.
According to leaders of the Ministry of Health, along with the development of science and technology and the change in disease patterns, the goal of modern medicine is not only to stop at treatment but also to preserve functions, improve quality of life and comprehensive health care throughout the life cycle.
In that trend, Gender Medicine is increasingly affirming its role as an important specialty, not only related to reproductive health and sexual health but also associated with physical health, mental health, non-communicable diseases, endocrine, aging and many other public health issues.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang, Chairman of the Vietnam Society of Gender Medicine, in the 2026-2031 term, the Society will focus on strategic priority years including: promoting scientific research and innovation; developing high-quality human resources; standardizing clinical practice based on evidence; expanding international cooperation; raising community awareness about sexual health and reproductive health.
This year's scientific conference is built according to a multidisciplinary orientation, focusing on the treatment of personalization, male infertility, male and female sexual dysfunction, endocrine reproduction, regenerative medicine, genetics, artificial intelligence and digital transformation in medicine.
