Striving for the average height of 18-year-old Nghe An youth: Male height is 1.67m, female height is 1.56m

This is one of the goals set out in the draft Action Program of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on implementing Resolution No. 20 - NQ/TW and Resolution No. 21 NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 of the Party Central Committee on strengthening the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health; population work in the new situation, which was presented by the Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee to the Provincial Party Standing Committee at the meeting on the morning of May 27.

Comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation chaired the meeting. Also attending were comrades: Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Nguyen Xuan Duong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Nguyen Van Thong - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and comrades in the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee.

Increase longevity, increase height

Regarding the Action Program to implement Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee on strengthening the protection, care and improvement of people's health, the draft Action Program sets specific targets for the years 2025 and 2030.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Xuan Son speaks at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Duy

In 2025 and 2030, Nghe An people will have an average life expectancy of 74.5 years and 75 years old, respectively; the health insurance participation rate will reach 95% of the population. The expanded vaccination rate will reach at least 95% with 12 vaccines and 95% with 14 vaccines.

The rate of stunting malnutrition in children under 5 years old is below 20% and below 15%. The rate of obesity in adults is below 12% and below 10%. The average height of 18-year-old youth for men is 167 cm, for women is 156 cm and 168.5 cm for men and 157.5 cm for women.

The Draft Action Program of the Provincial Party Standing Committee to implement Resolution No. 21 NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee, 12th tenure on population work in the new situation sets out the goals for the years 2025 and 2030.

Accordingly, by 2025, continue to maintain the birth rate reduction, strive to reduce the birth rate by 0.2 - 0.3%/year; reduce the birth rate of the third child or more by 0.3%/year in a sustainable manner to reach the replacement birth rate, with an average of 2.41 children per woman of childbearing age, and a population size of 3.317 million people. The urban population rate reaches 30%; 90% of the population is registered and managed in the national resident database system.

Basketball movement is growing among Nghe An students. Photo archive

By 2030, the draft sets the goal of continuing to maintain a reduction in the birth rate and a sustainable reduction in the rate of third and higher births and achieving replacement fertility (an average of 2.1 children per woman of childbearing age), with a population size of about 3.45 million people. The urban population ratio reaches over 45%; 100% of the population is registered and managed in the national resident database system.

Primary health care for the people

At the meeting, comrades in the Provincial Party Standing Committee contributed many opinions to the draft of the two action programs, focusing on clarifying a number of targets, concepts, and specifying the time, advisory and presiding agencies during the implementation process.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Xuan Son suggested that it is necessary to promote leadership and proper thinking on grassroots health care, accordingly, a project on grassroots health care should be developed. "The breakthrough for this action program is to care for grassroots health care" - Comrade Nguyen Xuan Son said when mentioning the implementation of the goal of strengthening the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong speaks at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Duy

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong suggested that the action program must be specific, and the goals must be linked to the content that must be implemented in specific practices.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong requested the drafting agency to fully absorb the opinions of the comrades in the Standing Committee to build an Action Program to ensure compliance with the set requirements.

Regarding the Action Program to implement Resolution No. 20, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh suggested that it must be developed in the direction of having specific projects and goals such as school sports, residential playgrounds, etc., in which the project on propaganda work must be implemented soon; and the contents that are not developed into a project must be clearly assigned to relevant sectors.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong speaks at the meeting. Photo: Thanh Duy

In particular, to strengthen, protect, care for and improve people's health, the Provincial Party Secretary requested attention to grassroots health care because this is the primary care and health consultation line for people; in difficult conditions, the health system should focus on investing in the provincial and communal levels; at the same time, handle medical examination and treatment, and illegal drug trading.

Regarding the Action Program to implement Resolution No. 21 NQ/TW on population work in the new situation, comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh said that the general spirit is to support the proposed contents, but noted that it is necessary to focus on clarifying solutions in areas and population groups with high and sudden birth rates.