National action month on population launched

Hanoi’s People’s Committee and the General Department of Population and Family Planning held a joint ceremony on December 6 to launch the 2010 National Action Month on Population.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Ba Thuy said that despite recording some positive results over the past few years, population and family planning work in Vietnam still faces many difficulties and challenges, including a large population and an unsustainable growths in births, with a big difference between the regions.

Vietnam ’s current population has reached nearly 86 million, ranking 13 th in the world, he said, adding that the country welcomes an additional 1 million citizens annually, equivalent to the population in many provinces.

Gender imbalance is also an alarming problem for Vietnam , as its sex ratio at birth has rapidly increased in recent years from 105 boys per 100 girls in 1979 to 110.5 boys per 100 girls in 2009.

If there are no effective measures introduced, the surplus of men over women will become a serious issue in the next few decades, stressed Thuy.

In addition, the population’s basic qualities are hindering the country’s development as it is still named in the list of countries with a middle-level human development index.

In response to the Action Month, the Deputy Minister has urged all localities to step up information campaigns to control the increase in population, especially the gender imbalance at birth./.

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Bid to curtail population boom

A medical worker hands out advice leaflets to women in northern Ninh Binh Province's Kim Son District. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc

HA NOI — The Government plans to limit population growth so that the national population does not exceed 100 million by 2020 while the country's population is projected to continue to rise during the next decade.

The newly-issued 2010-15 Action Programme on Population and Family Planning allows for Viet Nam's population, now at 86 million, to grow by 16 per cent during the next ten years.

The plan aims to continue the policy of fostering small families, with one or at most, two children.

Viet Nam's population is also expected to stay between 115 and 120 million by 2050.

The programme aims to address the increasing gender imbalance of newborns threatening the country. The national average ratio of male/female infants is more than 112/100, with some provinces seeing an even greater imbalance at up to 135/100.

National demographic database The Government will set up a national demographic database to be managed by the Ministry of Public Security. The database, expected to provide accurate and updated demographic information, will be open to organisations and individuals who wish to access the data for legitimate purposes. The personal information of citizens, including names, photos, ID numbers, place of birth, gender, passport numbers, heath insurance card numbers, tax numbers, education backgrounds, occupations and work and home addresses, will be included and updated on the database.

Part of the solution to this problem is the Ministry of Information and Communications banning the publication of any document related to selection of a baby's gender. The Health Ministry will also take action to prevent selection and forecasting of a baby's gender at invitro fertilisation centres and ultrasound clinics.

A draft decree imposing fines against population policy-related violations, which is being prepared by the Health Ministry and Ministry of Justice, will be submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in December.

The programme's priorities also include preparations for an ageing population, expected to occur once the population boom subsides.

The programme also aims to reach human development and standard of living targets, so that Viet Nam reaches levels at medium-developed country.

An overall plan to improve population quality during the 2011-20 period is expected to be completed and submitted to the Prime Minister by the end of this month. The plan will focus on raising people's life expectancy, education and per-capita income.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health will continue to carry out research and testing of interventions aimed at reducing congenital malformation, hereditary diseases and other factors affecting the quality of the population. —VNS

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