Residents in Ho Chi Minh City receive free health checks (Photo: Thao Phuong).
More than 1,000 people who are unable to travel have received routine health checks at home as Ho Chi Minh City expands community healthcare services for elderly residents, people with disabilities and those who are housebound.
The city's Department of Health said on July 24 that medical teams had been deployed to provide regular home visits, with the aim of ensuring vulnerable residents have timely and equitable access to healthcare.
Hiep Phuoc Commune Health Station is among the facilities implementing the programme. The station has established seven healthcare teams, each responsible for a designated residential area, to deliver routine medical services directly to patients' homes.
During each visit, healthcare workers collect patients' medical histories, carry out clinical examinations, record vital signs, take samples for laboratory tests, assess health risks and provide medical advice.
Patients found to have signs of illness are referred to hospitals or other medical facilities for further examination and treatment.
Examination results are uploaded to the city's Community Health Management Platform and Electronic Health Record system, allowing local health authorities to monitor residents' health continuously, manage chronic diseases, track risk factors and intervene when necessary.
The Department of Health said that, alongside Hiep Phuoc Commune, a growing number of communes and wards across Ho Chi Minh City have adopted the programme, providing home health checks to more than 1,000 residents who are unable to travel.
Health stations will continue to identify people in need of home-based care, strengthen follow-up health management and coordinate referrals to higher-level medical facilities when required.
The initiative forms part of the city's broader goal of ensuring all residents receive regular health check-ups and continuous healthcare management throughout their lives.
