Nghe An improves the effectiveness of population work in the new situation

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Provincial Department of Population and Family Planning had an interview with Nghe An Newspaper about some issues in the implementation of current population work.

Many changes in perception and action

PV:Dear Doctor, the field of population is always a difficult field, but it is known that up to now, Nghe An population work has reached the finish line with many targets exceeding the plan set by the Provincial Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term. So can you tell us more clearly about the results we have achieved in recent years?.

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan:Population work is still a difficult field and requires a separate action program. In Nghe An, to do population work well is even more difficult because our province has a large area, a large population, many different ethnic groups and uneven economic, cultural and social life, with gaps between regions.

Launching ceremony in response to National Action Month on Population 2019. Photo: My Ha

However, despite the unfavorable starting point, over the past 10 years, the province's population work has carried out many activities and has been recognized by the General Department of Population and Family Planning, Ministry of Health. At this time, we are very excited, because some targets set by the 18th Provincial Party Congress, term 2015 - 2020, including two important targets, the birth rate and the natural population growth, have both decreased. Specifically, in 2019, Nghe An province's birth rate decreased by 1.11‰ (3 times higher than the set target).

In addition, our natural population growth rate has reached 1%, which is in line with the current situation and in line with the general fluctuations of the whole country. In addition, the most positive thing is that awareness has increased, especially in mountainous districts. For example, in the past, when talking about having many children, having children close together and having a third child, we often talked about remote districts; but now, in 6 mountainous districts, the birth rate and total birth rate are lower than in the plain districts.

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Department of Population and Family Planning. Photo: My Ha

PV:Currently, population work has shifted from population - family planning to population and development. But with the characteristics of Nghe An, what difficulties are we facing and what is the current task of the entire population sector of Nghe An, doctor?

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan:Since 2006, Vietnam has maintained the replacement fertility rate at below 2.1 children (the average number of children per woman of childbearing age) and up to now, after more than 10 years, we have maintained this result.

Currently, the country has 19 provinces with a low fertility rate of less than 1.9 children, 21 provinces with a replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children and 25 provinces with a replacement fertility rate of over 2.3 children, including Nghe An. According to statistics, the average fertility rate in the period from 2011 to 2018 in our province is 2.77 children and Nghe An is still the 6th province in the country with a high fertility rate.

Giving gifts to families who have implemented the population policy well in Ngoc Lam commune, the only commune in Nghe An that has not had a third child for 3 consecutive years. Photo: Manh Dat

This requires that in the current period, Nghe An must continue to carry out two tasks, which are to both reduce birth rate and improve population quality. In which, reducing birth rate to approach replacement rate is still an important task with many solutions such as strengthening communication work, providing services to the people.

Improving population quality is not simple, because for the whole country this is a new task and requires the entire political system to participate.

To be successful, we must ensure nutrition for people from children, pregnant women to the elderly; need to propagate to raise people's awareness of exercising to take care of their health; need to provide knowledge about disease prevention, treatment and personal hygiene.

Tradition of health care consultation for the elderly. Photo: Manh Dat

In other words, when provided with adequate nutrition and disease prevention, the quality of the population will also increase, and if one person is conscious of taking care of himself, the whole society will also have positive changes.

Creating population mechanisms and policies in the new situation

PV:Compared to the whole country, Nghe An is one of the leading provinces in perfecting the population work team. Can you assess the role of this team in population work in recent years?

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan:Nghe An is one of the 12 most successful provinces and cities in the country in implementing Circular No. 05/2008/TT-BYT dated May 14, 2008 of the Ministry of Health guiding the functions, tasks and organizational structure of the Population - Family Planning apparatus at the local level.

Therefore, from the district to the grassroots level, the work of consulting, planning, communication, and funding to implement population work at the grassroots level is very effective and has reached the "mature" stage. I also highly appreciate the nearly 7,000 population collaborators in the villages because they stick very closely to the subjects in the villages, "go to every alley, knock on every door" and update information and data very accurately and effectively.

People in Bong Khe commune, Con Cuong district learn about the use of contraceptives. Photo: My Ha.

PV:2020 will certainly be a year of change for the province's population work when Nghe An will merge district-level population centers. So, can you tell us what difficulties the population sector will face in this reality?

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan:According to the project of the Provincial People's Committee, it is expected that in the first quarter of 2020, the district and urban Population - Family Planning Centers will be merged. Faced with these changes, we determined that there will be many difficulties and the difficulties will be more obvious because currently, even in 43 provinces where the centers have been merged, the operating mechanism is still unclear.

Reality also shows that after merging with the health sector, due to its own characteristics, implementing population activities is not easy because the health sector focuses more on expertise, while the population sector is more inclined towards communication and advocacy.

In such conditions, if there is no good advice and direction, population work will stagnate, not only in the first one or two years but may last longer.

PV:To effectively and qualitatively implement population work in 2020 and the coming years, what solutions have we had in the new context and new conditions?

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan:At the end of October 2019, we had an important meeting at the Ministry of Health on organizational work and learned that the Ministry of Health is currently drafting Circular 51 to complete the replacement of provincial health care and replace Circular 37 on district health care and population.

While waiting for the guidance document, I know there are still many opinions. However, since the province issued the policy, we have affirmed that the merger is implemented in accordance with the Party's Resolutions and in any circumstance, the first task of those working in population work is to seriously implement the province's plans and persevere with the tasks and goals set out.

Doctor CKII Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Department of Population and Family Planning. Photo: My Ha

We have also determined that next year, even though there will be changes in position and agency, if they have knowledge, enthusiasm, and a sense of responsibility, those working in population work at the grassroots level will still be able to promote their role, making population work increasingly develop in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 21 on Population Work in the New Situation.

PV:Thank you doctor and wish the Population sector a new year with much success!