Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed the need to increase protection, care and support for the elderly and promote their contribution to national construction and protection. Photo VGP/Nhat Bac

The elderly are “the precious capital of the nation, the important force of the country and the mainstay of families and the society of Viet Nam”, according to late President Ho Chi Minh.

Addressing the meeting, PM Chinh stressed that elderly people are always respected and over history, the elderly have made great contributions to national construction and protection.

Participants at the meeting said the Vietnamese Association for the Elderly has kept developing, mobilising the participation of a large number of people. The association’s members now total over 9.7 million, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the total number of elderly people in the country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks with leaders of the Vietnamese Association for the Elderly. Photo VGP/Nhat Bac

The association has carried out two key programmes, including the programme “The elderly participate in building and developing the fund for caring and promoting the role of old people at the grassroots level” and “The elderly participate in protecting the environment, building new-style rural areas and civilized urban areas”.

It has also implemented two tasks assigned by the Prime Minister, including the implementation of the Action Month for the Elderly and the plan to expand the model of the Intergenerational self-help club. So far, there are nearly 3,500 intergenerational self-help clubs across the country and this model has been highly welcomed at many regional and international forums as a good initiative of Viet Nam.

The club model was chosen by the World Health Organization for its regional action plan on aging and health; and was chosen by the United Nations as one of the typical cases that are studied by many international organisations and nations. It also won the grand prize of the Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI).

Participants expressed thanks for the Party and State’s care for the elderly and discussed difficulties and shortcomings in the operation of the association at all levels. They put forward some solutions and tasks to better protect and care for the elderly as well as promote their role in national development.

Vice chairman of the association and Head of the Representative Board of the HCM City Association for the Elderly Huynh Thanh Lap said people in general and the elderly in particular highly appreciated the direction and administration of the Government and the Prime Minister.

Particularly, they are impressed with the Prime Minister’s directions in carrying out unexpected examinations of COVID-19 prevention and control at the grassroots level and vaccine diplomacy to vaccinate all people, giving priority to inoculating elderly people and those with underlying diseases, and prioritising the supply of vaccines for HCM City when the pandemic progressed in the city.

In response to the Prime Minister’s viewpoint of “the best vaccine is the one that is given the earliest”, elderly people in many areas were vaccinated.

The association called for further support, including the amendment and supplementation to the Law on the Elderly and related mechanisms and policies; providing assistance for groups of elderly who do not have health insurance; building a strategy for the elderly in the new situation; setting up a database on elderly people; and constructing resorts for the elderly in various localities (with funds mobilised from private sources).    

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and members of the Vietnamese Association for the Elderly. Photo VGP/Nhat Bac

Promoting wisdom, experience, work and study of the elderly

Concluding the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed again the position, role and importance of the elderly. The Party and State have many policies to protect, help and care for elderly people and to promote their role in the revolutionary causes through different periods.

The meeting once again demonstrated the Government’s responsibility for the elderly and was aimed at continuing to concretise the Party’s and State’s policies for the elderly with the hope that the elderly would make more contributions to the common cause of the Party, State and people.

Briefing on the situation, solutions and achievements in 2021, the PM said the achievements were attributed to the leadership of the Party that flexibly changed the mindset and pandemic prevention measures; to great national solidarity; the involvement of the whole political system and the buy-in of people and businesses; as well as the assistance of international friends and partners.

The great achievements that the country made include the contributions of the elderly, with about 6.5 million older people still working – and particularly, 100,000 who are owners of production facilities and businesses, as well as many others who are still politically active at Party and Government agencies, he noted.

In the future, the PM said he wants more emphasis on raising awareness of the role and significance of older people, and enhanced effectiveness in the operations of the associations for the elderly in caring for this age group.

PM asks to pay more attention to raising awareness of the role, position and significance of the old people and their contributions. Photo VGP/Nhat Bac

The policies for the elderly should be practical and fit with the current situations and time, taking into account considerations from lessons offered by international friends and organisations. PM Chinh also agreed that there should be further investment into policies and mechanisms for the holding of activities designed for the elderly, in line with the State’s orientations and regulations, as well as people’s aspirations./.