Despite the economic crisis, the HealthMinistry has pledged not to cut back on investment in women, for thesake of their health, their children’s health, and that of the entirepopulation.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Ba Thuy madethis statement at a July 2 press briefing on local activities inresponse to World Population Day 2009 (July 11).
According to statistics, the average maternal mortality rate in 2008was 75 deaths per 100,000 live births, and even higher in remote andmountainous areas. To achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG)on maternal health, Vietnam has set a target of reducing this ratio to60/100,000 by 2010 in its 2006-2010 socio-economic development plan,said the health official. He added that by 2015, the rate will bereduced by three quarters in fulfilment of MDG commitments.
Over the years, thanks to the implementation of important socialpolicies in family planning, the norm of a small-sized family hasbecome more and more widely accepted, and the average number ofchildren per woman of child-bearing age has reached the replacementlevel of fertility, helping to lift the pressure of population growthon socio-economic development.
However, Vietnam is confronting huge challenges in maintaining theseachievements, Deputy Minister Thuy said, citing the increased maternalmortality rate, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas in recenttime.
Adding to this is a large population size, about 86.5 million people,making Vietnam the 13 th most populous country in the world; anunstable decline in birth rates; a high population density, at 257people/sq.km, six times the world average; and an imbalance in the sexratio at birth--112 males/100 females.
Even after steady improvement, the country’s human development index(HDI) is still at a low level, at 0.733 points, ranking 105/177countries in the world. A number of factors compound the problem: highrate of malnutrition, high risk for epidemics, particularlyreproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases andHIV/AIDS infections.
Last but not least, the traditional mind-set of having a large family,and that a son is a must to continue the blood line is still commonplace, he said.
A representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), BruceCampbell, praised Vietnam ’s progress in reproductive health and familyplanning, which, he said, is attributable to the joint efforts of theGovernment and development partners. He added that the free health carepolicy for children under the age of six demonstrated the VietnameseGovernment’s strong commitment to improving child and maternal health.
This year’s World Population Day is themed “Responding to the EconomicCrisis: Investing in Women’s Health is a Smart Choice.” In this spirit,Campbell cautioned Vietnam not to reduce health investment as it wouldthen take longer and require more resources to get back to thepre-crisis level of health standards./.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Ba Thuy madethis statement at a July 2 press briefing on local activities inresponse to World Population Day 2009 (July 11).
According to statistics, the average maternal mortality rate in 2008was 75 deaths per 100,000 live births, and even higher in remote andmountainous areas. To achieve the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG)on maternal health, Vietnam has set a target of reducing this ratio to60/100,000 by 2010 in its 2006-2010 socio-economic development plan,said the health official. He added that by 2015, the rate will bereduced by three quarters in fulfilment of MDG commitments.
Over the years, thanks to the implementation of important socialpolicies in family planning, the norm of a small-sized family hasbecome more and more widely accepted, and the average number ofchildren per woman of child-bearing age has reached the replacementlevel of fertility, helping to lift the pressure of population growthon socio-economic development.
However, Vietnam is confronting huge challenges in maintaining theseachievements, Deputy Minister Thuy said, citing the increased maternalmortality rate, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas in recenttime.
Adding to this is a large population size, about 86.5 million people,making Vietnam the 13 th most populous country in the world; anunstable decline in birth rates; a high population density, at 257people/sq.km, six times the world average; and an imbalance in the sexratio at birth--112 males/100 females.
Even after steady improvement, the country’s human development index(HDI) is still at a low level, at 0.733 points, ranking 105/177countries in the world. A number of factors compound the problem: highrate of malnutrition, high risk for epidemics, particularlyreproductive tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases andHIV/AIDS infections.
Last but not least, the traditional mind-set of having a large family,and that a son is a must to continue the blood line is still commonplace, he said.
A representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), BruceCampbell, praised Vietnam ’s progress in reproductive health and familyplanning, which, he said, is attributable to the joint efforts of theGovernment and development partners. He added that the free health carepolicy for children under the age of six demonstrated the VietnameseGovernment’s strong commitment to improving child and maternal health.
This year’s World Population Day is themed “Responding to the EconomicCrisis: Investing in Women’s Health is a Smart Choice.” In this spirit,Campbell cautioned Vietnam not to reduce health investment as it wouldthen take longer and require more resources to get back to thepre-crisis level of health standards./.
