Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc launched the Vietnam Health Program

On the morning of February 27, Vietnam Doctors' Day, the Vietnam Health Program Launching Ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health. The ceremony was connected online with 63 provinces and cities and more than 700 district, town, and provincial city bridges. The Vietnam Health Program aims to encourage people to exercise and move to prevent and detect diseases early.

At Nghe An bridge, there were representatives of the Department of Health, leaders of hospitals and medical centers in the area and representatives of a number of relevant departments and branches.

According to records, from early morning, at Nghe An bridge point, many people came to have their blood pressure measured, blood sugar tested quickly, respiratory function measured, health consultation....

People came to get free medical examination and consultation at Nghe An bridge this morning. Photo: Tien Hung

Launching the Vietnam Health Program, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the cause of protecting, caring for and improving people's health still faces many new difficulties and challenges such as globalization, population aging, climate change, environmental pollution, and bad habits that increase the risk of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

"Disease prevention and early detection have not been given due attention. People's life expectancy is high, but on average, they have to live with illness for 10 years, reducing their quality of life," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Scene at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Tien Hung

The Prime Minister called on people to increase physical activity, walk, cycle, exercise, and play sports. Do not smoke, limit alcohol consumption. Have a reasonable diet, reduce salt and sugar intake, eat lots of green vegetables and fruits.

The head of the Government also advised people to measure their blood pressure at least once every six months to detect early the risk of high blood pressure; measure their blood sugar at least once a year to detect early diabetes. When coughing, wheezing, or having difficulty breathing, they should see a doctor immediately to detect early asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "Each person should take the initiative to protect and improve their health. Each person is healthy, which means the whole country is healthy," said the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the ceremony. Photo: VGP

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien hopes that the Vietnam Health Program will soon become a reality, achieving the set goals so that in the near future, Vietnamese people will have better stature, physical strength, health, quality of life, and longevity.

Within the framework of the launching ceremony, there were also many meaningful activities such as physical exercise to improve physical fitness broadcast online to 700 locations; parade to encourage the whole population to participate in the program, and propaganda for people to pay attention to early detection of diseases.