Vietnam’s population has reached 90 million today, prompting a review of population statistics and ways to improve its quality.
>> Vietnam’s 90 millionth citizen announced >> Vietnam’s population reaches 90 mln on Nov 1; issues to resolve
To Thi Kim Hoa, deputy director of the HCMC health Department and head of the city Sub-department of Population and Family Planning, spoke with Tuoi Tre about population issues.
The talks were conducted before the 90 millionth citizen of Vietnam — Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung — was announced by the General Office of Population and Family Planning at 5:45 am this morning, November 1.
Population quality is an important issue. Vietnam, with a population of 90-million, is a “powerful country in terms of population quality,” but the quality of the population is only average compared to the rest of the world.
Therefore, the current issue is what Vietnam should do to make it “a powerful country in terms of population quality,” Hoa said.
Awareness of reproductive health among young people is still low. Many youths have yet to pay necessary attention to their reproductive health before getting married. Doing so could help ensure their marital happiness as well as the health and development of their future children.
Another issue is unexpected pregnancy, unsafe sex intercourse, and repeated abortion. Many women do not pay attention to prenatal screenings to detect preventable abnormalities in their unborn children.
The average lifespan of a Vietnamese is 73, but in fact, elderly people live healthily only until the average age of 62.
The country also faces sex imbalance at birth, which could have deep social impacts including gender inequality in the future. Currently, the ratio of male to female babies at birth is 112/100.
These are among the problems that challenge the country in its efforts to enhance the quality of population, Hoa said.
With the same view, Duong Quoc Trong, head of the General Office of Population and Family Planning, said earlier that the country needs to improve its population quality. “Vietnam is entering a period known as a ‘golden population structure,’ meaning for every two or more people working, there is only one dependent person.
Such a structure is providing the country with a good opportunity for boosting its socio-economic development, but the quality of the “golden population” must be improved to make the population become “golden” both in quantity and qualification, Trong said.
Baby girl Nguyen Thuy Dung and her mother pictured at the Central Obstetrics Hospital in Hanoi
Hoa answered some questions from Tuoi Tre regarding population issues:
Q: According to statistics, HCMC’s birth rate is very low now. Does this mean there will be a vast majority of older people in the future?A: In 2005 the average number of children per woman was 1.52. Four year later, the figure reduced to 1.45, and in 2012, it continued to drop to 1.33.
According to the figures of the HCMC Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, elderly people (over 60 years old) in the city account for 6.02 percent of the city’s population.
A population is considered to be “aged” when at least 20 percent are over 60 years of age. If there are no adjustments to the current birth rate, the city’s population will be “aged” in the future.
In coping with the situation, we are trying to encourage every couple in the city to have two children.
Q: What impacts will an aged population have on the society?A: First of all, it affects the structure of the country’s workforce. Specifically, it will reduce the number of people who can work.
When the number of elderly people increases, it will lead to a corresponding rise in the cost of healthcare.
Due to difficult social and economic conditions, many elderly people live without a pension or social insurance, so they face many difficulties.
Currently, besides paying attention to the improvement of infant health, we also have a program that offers healthcare to elderly people.
Q: What are the causes of the declining birth rate in HCMC?A: First, it is due to income. Many couples cannot afford high living costs in urban areas, so they dare not have many children. Some want to have only one child so that they can afford costs such as healthcare and education.
Also, many subscribe to the fact that having fewer children enables them to have more time to take care of themselves and their family, boosting their quality of life.
These days, many women want to develop their professions and careers, so they opt to have fewer children to allow them the time to do so.
Đăng ký: VietNam News