Original Vietnamese content is translated by LaoDongAI
People in Ho Chi Minh City receive free health check-ups on National Health Day. Photo: Anh Tu
People in Ho Chi Minh City receive free health check-ups on National Health Day. Photo: Anh Tu

Thousands of Ho Chi Minh City residents receive free health check-ups

TÚ LY (báo lao động) 06/04/2026 10:33 (GMT+7)

Responding to the National Health Day (April 7), the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health organized free screening for thousands of people in 64 wards and communes on April 5.

Happy to have a free health check-up every year/time

Quickly queuing and waiting for her turn for free medical examination, Ms. Dang Thi Ngoc Giay (58 years old, Hanh Thong ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she usually maintains the habit of health check-ups about every 6 months. However, having a free medical examination program right in the locality helps her to be more convenient, save costs and not have to travel far.

According to Ms. Giay, the free health check-up program is of practical significance, especially for people who are busy or have limited economic conditions. She hopes that the locality will continue to maintain similar activities, especially organized on weekends so that people can conveniently participate, contributing to reducing the burden of health care for the community.

Mr. Chiu Minh Son (An Nhon ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that he decided to participate in the free health check-up program because he realized that this is an opportunity suitable for personal needs, especially for eye exams. "This is a very humane activity, helping people receive better health care. I hope such programs will be organized more regularly in the coming time" - Mr. Son shared.

People come for free medical examinations exceeding daily expectations

The number of people participating in the free health check-up program at the Tang Nhon Phu Ward Health Station increased higher than expected from the first day of implementation. According to BS.CKII Pham Xuan Hai - Deputy Director of the Tang Nhon Phu Ward Health Station, the demand for health check-ups in the community is still very large, especially among the elderly and people in difficult circumstances.

Many people only go for examination when they have obvious symptoms. Therefore, when there is a free screening program, people register very crowdedly" - BS.CKII Pham Xuan Hai informed.

On the first day, the station issued 200 tickets but examined nearly 300 people. Notably, many people from neighboring wards also came to participate after knowing the information.

Through the examination, doctors recorded many cases of high blood pressure and diabetes that needed to be monitored, and at the same time discovered more than 10 suspected TB cases that were sampled for in-depth testing. With more than 10,500 people over 60 years old, the need for community health care is assessed to be very large, requiring regular screening activities to be maintained.

Similarly, at the examination points organized by Go Vap General Hospital in coordination, the number of people participating also exceeded the plan. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Phu Manh Sieu - Director of Go Vap General Hospital - shared that the program focuses on screening common diseases, especially eye and gynecological diseases - problems that are often not detected early in the community.

Initially, the hospital was expected to receive about 300 people, but in fact the number was much higher. From early morning, a large number of people were present to register, of which the demand for eye and gynecological examinations accounted for a large proportion. To meet the demand, the hospital mobilized specialist doctors and mobile examination equipment such as ultrasound machines, gynecological examination equipment and eye examination equipment.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Phu Manh Sieu, community disease screening helps to detect diseases early, while creating a basis for building long-term health care plans for people, towards comprehensive health care right at the grassroots level.

Ho Chi Minh City determined to build a comprehensive healthcare system

According to Mr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, Ho Chi Minh City is a dynamic megacity with a population of nearly 15 million people, with rapid urbanization, a strongly changing population structure, along with a double burden of disease. In that context, building a proactive, continuous, close to the people and based on data healthcare system is an urgent requirement, and also a sustainable development orientation for the city's health sector in the coming time.

To realize that determination, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector will focus on implementing three key task groups:

First, officially launching the "Continuous Health Care Teams associated with residential areas".

Second, mobilize the strength of the entire treatment system to organize free specialized disease screening and screening for people.

Third, urgently research and propose health check-up solutions for all people in 2026.

The Ho Chi Minh City health sector is committed to continuing to innovate and improve service quality, strengthen the application of digital technology, develop healthcare grounds, improve prevention capacity and build a comprehensive, equitable and sustainable healthcare system. Nguyen Ly

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