Transplantationsberichte: Open Access

Abstrakt

Health and health care for older people in Vietnam

Van Minh Hoang

Vietnam has been undergoing a rapid demographic transition characterized by an increase in the number of older people. The number of people aged 60 years and over in Vietnam increased from 4 million (accounting for 6.9% of total population) in 1979 to 10.35 million (accounting for 11.3% of total population) in 2015. It is projected that, by 2038, the amount of older population would account for 20% of the entire Vietnamese population. The fast aging population process is mostly due to the declines in fertility rates, mortality rates, and increase in life expectancies of the population. Older people in Vietnam have been facing a heavy burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), accounting for 87 - 89% of lost DALYs and 86%-88% of deaths depending on the age group