Khanh Hoa is implementing a very noteworthy policy when setting a goal that by the end of 2026, all people in the area will have periodic health check-ups or free screenings at least once.
And Nam Nha Trang ward is one of the first localities to start implementing it, with more than 27,000 people from priority groups being examined in August.
The policy that each Vietnamese citizen will have a periodic health check-up or free screening at least once a year, starting from 2026, is a revolution in health thinking when shifting the focus from "healing" to "prevention", taking digital data as the foundation for lifelong health management.
Another important thing is that this policy contributes to promoting a new mindset about healthcare for people and the health sector.
Instead of waiting for people to get sick before treatment, the health sector proactively approaches people to detect risks early.
People will also gradually change their awareness and the psychology of "no pain, no need for examination". With modern medicine, periodic health check-ups are not to find diseases, but to maintain health.
Early detection of a risk today can help avoid surgery, a stroke, or a very large cost of treatment in the future.
That is also the direction that many countries with developed healthcare have long chosen. Because a modern healthcare system is not only good at treating diseases but also must be good at keeping people from getting sick, or if they get sick, they can be detected right from the early stages.
In our country, many people only go to the hospital when their bodies have shown clear signs.
Meanwhile, many dangerous diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or some types of cancer have progressed silently for many years.
When detected, the disease is already severe, treatment is more expensive, and the recovery rate is also lower.
A periodic health check-up can help detect early abnormalities that seem very small but are decisive for the health of a person.
The cost of initial screening is always much lower than the cost of treatment when the disease has progressed to a late stage.
However, for this policy to maximize its effectiveness as expected, health check-ups must be linked to long-term health management. If people only have their blood pressure measured, tests, ultrasounds and then receive a result sheet to take home, the meaning will be very limited.
Periodic check-ups become the first link in a continuous health care chain.
Therefore, what is more necessary is that everyone has an electronic health record that is updated regularly; cases at risk are consulted, monitored and treated continuously at grassroots health facilities...
Regular, free health check-ups not only help reduce costs, but more importantly, make people less likely to go to the hospital thanks to proactive disease prevention and health care.
And that is the destination that this health policy needs to aim for.
