The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Bank on August 7 launched a knowledge-sharing program to assist policymakers in Vietnam with developing new models of elderly care services as Vietnam’s population is ageing at a pace faster than any of its regional peers, state media reported. The first activity under this new program was a learning seminar in Hanoi where 40 government officials from various line ministries, including the Ministry of Labor-Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, and Vietnam National Committee on Aging participated to gain a better understanding of the nature of the issues and challenges of eldercare the country is facing. “Rapid population ageing in Vietnam will have significant economic, social and fiscal implications,” said Ousmane Dione, the WB Country Director for Vietnam. “Vietnam needs to start preparing for an ageing society now by developing a comprehensive and financially sustainable health and social care service system that can provide the elderly with the care they need.” To facilitate a transition to a new eldercare model, Vietnam needs to address major structural bottlenecks including limited access to essential medical and social care services as well as weak collaboration across relevant sectors (health, social, and finance, among others). But the country stands to benefit from the experiences of other peers, experts said. At the seminar, experts from Japan and Thailand shared their experiences and lessons learnt in designing policies and institutional arrangements with proper attention to the associated fiscal impacts. Based on current demographic trends, Vietnam’s elderly population will double from 7% to 14% of the total population – the threshold for a country’s population to be considered aged – in about 17 years. Vietnam is projected to become an aged society around 2035. (Gia Dinh Viet Nam, giadinhvietnam)
