Hanoi will keep strengthening solutions to bring the sex ratio at birth to a natural balance, Kinhtedothi.vn quoted Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh as saying at a meeting on July 9 to celebrate the World Population Day (July 11).

Hanh said that Hanoi has met the city’s planned targets for 2019 which are the basis for accomplishing the five-year plan (2016-2020) targets.

Parade in response to the World Population Day. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Specifically, in the first half of 2020, Hanoi city’s sex ratio at birth is 113.2 boys/100 girls, prenatal screening rate reached 82.48%, newborn screening rate reached 75.46% and other 373,391 people use contraceptive methods.

In particular, in order to improve the population’s quality, in Hanoi, many models are in place and replicated across the city such as adolescent and youth reproductive health care model, pre-marital counseling and health examination model.

However, the city’s population work is still facing with many challenges due to the young population structure, thus, the number of women entering the reproductive age is high, resulting in the increase of the birth rate in the city.

The high annual population growth, migration, uneven educational level and the mindset of favoring male child are the causes of worsening gender imbalance at birth in Hanoi.

Hanh stressed that Hanoi will continue promoting solutions to gradually improve its population quality, adapt to aging population and ensure reasonable population distribution, with a view to contributing to the city’s socio-economic development.

According to Ta Quang Huy, head of the Hanoi Department of Population and Family Planning, the city’s population and family planning work has been enhanced at district level with the aim of balancing sex ratio at birth, and making it natural, contributing to a stable population structure and improving the population quality.

Hanoi has applied a number of solutions in 30 districts and towns, such as reducing the third child birth, prohibiting gender selection, upholding the role of women in family and society, praising couples who give birth to daughters, among others, to achieve a natural sex ratio, Huy added.

He stressed that along with focusing on controlling the increased imbalance in the sex ratio at birth, the city will continue implementing its project on screening before and during pregnancy to boost the population quality. Communication campaigns to raise public awareness on caring for children’s physical development via exercises and nutrition are also slated to be implemented.