Schedule for Vitamin A Supplementation for Children in 2023: When Do Regular Health Check-ups Take Place Based on Child's Age?
Schedule for Vitamin A Intake for Children in 2023?
According to the Ministry of Health portal, the schedule for vitamin A intake for children in 2023 will begin on June 1, 2023.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Health will launch the first campaign of 2023 to supplement vitamin A for children starting from June 1. The campaign will be organized nationwide.
The Ministry of Health has issued an Official Dispatch guiding localities to organize the campaign for children to drink vitamin A capsules combined with routine deworming for the first half of 2023.
In this campaign, in 22 disadvantaged mountainous provinces, each child from 6-59 months will receive one dose of vitamin A, and children from 24-59 months will receive routine deworming. In the remaining 41 provinces and cities, the Ministry of Health will organize for children aged 6-35 months to receive one dose of vitamin A. The drugs used in the campaign are donated by the organization Vitamin Angel (USA).
Additionally, the Ministry of Health provided more information about vitamin A as follows:
- Vitamin A plays an important role in the health and comprehensive development of children.- Annually, the Ministry of Health organizes campaigns to supplement high-dose vitamin A for over 6 million children aged 6-54 months nationwide (each year has 2 phases: The first phase in June and the second phase in December).- In these campaigns, children within the age range are given high-dose vitamin A capsules. These vitamin A supplementation campaigns have helped Vietnam eliminate blindness due to vitamin A deficiency since 2000.
Accordingly, the schedule for vitamin A intake for children in 2023 starts from June 1, 2023.
Schedule for Vitamin A Intake for Children in 2023? When will routine health check-ups for children by age take place?
From What Age Should Children Take Vitamin A?
On May 27, 2023, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch 3232/BYT-BMTE in 2023 regarding the organization of the first phase of the 2023 campaign to supplement vitamin A combined with deworming for children.
In the Official Dispatch, guidelines for the age groups for vitamin A intake for children are as follows:
Children aged 6-59 months old will take vitamin A combined with deworming twice a year
The Official Dispatch also clearly states the Ministry of Health's request for provincial and municipal Health Departments to implement the following:
- The campaign to supplement vitamin A for children aged 6-59 months combined with deworming for children aged 24-59 months in 22 disadvantaged provinces; supplement vitamin A for children aged 6-35 months in the remaining 41 provinces and cities. Depending on the actual conditions, localities are to develop specific plans and actively organize appropriate campaigns to ensure that all children in the age range receive vitamin A and deworming as guided.- Continue maintaining the activity of giving vitamin A supplements to children aged 6-59 months at risk of vitamin A deficiency (prolonged diarrhea, respiratory infections, measles infections, and severe malnutrition).- Organize and implement the vitamin A supplementation campaign according to professional guidelines; ensure adequate supply of vitamin A, maintain hygiene and safety for children.- Strengthen communication about preventing micronutrient and vitamin A deficiency for the population. Integrate communication activities about micronutrient deficiency prevention with health promotion and disease prevention campaigns.- The National Institute of Nutrition will take the lead in developing allocation plans for vitamin A and providing professional guidance to implement the supplementation campaign.- The Central Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology will take the lead in developing plans for deworming drug distribution and providing professional guidance to implement deworming activities for children in the campaign.- Provincial and city Health Departments will develop local campaign organization plans, report to provincial/city People's Committees, and organize implementation and reporting of campaign results following the Ministry of Health's guidelines (via the National Institute of Nutrition and the Central Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology) for consolidation and reporting to the Ministry of Health.
Refer to Official Dispatch 3232/BYT-BMTE in 2023 here.
When Do Routine Health Check-Ups for Children by Age Take Place?
Based on the provisions of Article 3 of Circular 23/2017/TT-BYT, the regulations are as follows:
Routine Health Check-Ups for Children by Age
1. Routine health check-ups for children: General health examination and check-up once a year for children from birth to under 16 years of age to detect early illnesses and risks of diseases for appropriate advice, intervention, or treatment.
2. Children from birth to before entering kindergarten and children under 6 years old who do not attend school are to have routine health check-ups at commune-level health stations, such as commune, ward, and commune-level town health stations (hereinafter referred to as commune health stations) regarding the following contents:
a) Measure length, height, and weight to assess physical development;b) Conduct a comprehensive check-up to assess mental and motor development, detect illnesses, abnormalities, and disease risks;c) Check vaccination schedule and administer vaccines in the Expanded Immunization Program for children who have not been vaccinated and have the need;d) Conclude health status, provide advice, and refer to appropriate health facilities if illnesses or abnormal signs and risks are detected.
3. Children from 7 to under 16 years old who do not attend school are to have routine health check-ups at commune health stations as recorded in the Health Management Records.
4. Children who are students from preschool to the end of lower secondary school are to have health check-ups and routine health assessments as per the provisions of Article 9 of Joint Circular 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT dated May 12, 2016, which regulates school health activities (hereinafter referred to as Joint Circular 13/2016/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT).
Children at different ages will have routine health check-ups with specific contents as regulated above.
What Policies Does the Government Have to Ensure Child Health Care?
Based on the provisions of Article 43 of the 2016 Children's Law, the regulations are as follows:
Ensuring Child Health Care
1. The State has policies appropriate to economic and social development conditions of each period to support and ensure that all children receive health care, prioritizing children in special circumstances, children from poor and near-poor households, ethnic minority children, children living in border areas, mountainous areas, islands, and areas with extremely difficult economic and social conditions.
2. The State ensures the implementation of measures for regular health monitoring for pregnant women and children by age; nutrition care, primary health care, and vaccinations for children; accident and injury prevention for children; advice and support for children in reproductive and sexual health care suitable to their age as prescribed by law.
3. Prioritize advice, protection, and health and nutrition care for pregnant women, mothers raising children under 36 months old, and children, especially children under 36 months old, children who have been abused, suitable with each period’s economic and social development conditions.
4. The State has policies and measures for prenatal and neonatal screening, diagnosis, and treatment; reducing child mortality rates, especially neonatal mortality; eliminating customs and practices that harm children's health.
5. The State pays and supports the payment of health insurance premiums for children as prescribed by the law on health insurance according to age, group, and appropriate to economic and social development conditions of each period.
6. The State has policies and measures to enable children to access sanitary water sources and basic sanitation conditions, and ensure food safety according to the law.
7. The State encourages agencies, organizations, families, and individuals to support and invest resources to protect and care for children's health, giving priority to children in special circumstances.
As per the above regulations, the State has prioritized policies to care for and protect children's health.
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