Vietnam plans free annual health checks, boosts benefits for poor and seniors

The Vietnamese government has mooted a package of changes to national health policy that would raise insurance benefits for poor and senior citizens and guarantee at least one free annual health check or screening for every resident beginning in 2026. The proposal, reported by Asia Insurance Review, is framed as part of broader efforts to strengthen preventive care and modernise the national health care system.

Under the draft plan, residents would be entitled to one free health check or screening each year, with priority given to target groups and depending on funding capacity. Authorities plan to integrate the new checks with existing school health examinations, occupational health services and treatments already covered under the national health insurance scheme. The proposal also calls for completing the rollout of electronic health records for all citizens to support continuity of care and data driven planning.

The government links the initiative to a shift toward prevention, arguing that regular screening could detect chronic conditions earlier and reduce future demand for expensive tertiary care. For public health officials, expanded screening offers a tool to address rising rates of hypertension, diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases that have become leading burdens on Vietnam's health system. Electronic records could make screenings more effective by enabling follow up, monitoring and population level surveillance.

Funding remains an open question. The draft notes that financing would draw on employers contributions for workers, and the government says further arrangements will be clarified as the plan advances. That outline signals a mixed financing approach but leaves unresolved how the programme will be sustained, especially for retirees, informal sector workers and people in remote areas where employer based contributions are absent.

Implementation challenges are substantial. Primary care clinics, laboratories and community health workers will need increased capacity to deliver large numbers of preventive checks. Rural provinces and informal urban settlements already face shortages of trained staff and diagnostic equipment, and digital gaps could limit the reach of electronic health records among older adults and low income households. Without deliberate measures to close these gaps, the benefits of expanded screening risk accruing first to better resourced urban populations, potentially widening health inequities.

For older adults and people living in poverty, the proposal could reduce out of pocket spending on diagnostics and create avenues for earlier treatment. But realising those gains will require clear eligibility rules, transport and outreach services for homebound seniors, and targeted funding to ensure clinics in poorer provinces are not left behind.

The plan intersects with wider policy debates about the role of employers contributions, the balance between prevention and treatment spending, and how to make digital health tools inclusive. As the government moves from outline to legislation and implementation, choices about financing, workforce investment and monitoring will determine whether the proposal advances health equity or entrenches regional disparities.

Observers say the coming months will be critical as ministries refine the funding model and set measurable targets for rollout. Civil society groups and provincial health authorities will likely play key roles in shaping how the ambitious preventive agenda translates into services people can actually access.