Nine groups of measures to implement periodic health checks and free screening for all citizens

From 2026, citizens will be entitled to periodic health examinations or free screening at least once per year, supported by an electronic health record to manage health across the life cycle. The policy is set out in Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo, which calls for breakthrough solutions to strengthen protection, care and improvement of public health, with the aim of gradually reducing the cost burden of healthcare.

Plan to roll out annual check-ups and free screening

The Ministry of Health is drafting a decision to approve a Plan to implement periodic health examinations or free screening at least annually for the population. The Plan includes nine content areas and an organizational framework.

Nine content areas in the implementation Plan

1. Study and propose regulations on periodic health examinations or free screening at least once per year for the population for inclusion in the draft decree guiding the Law on Disease Prevention, and develop guidelines for organizing free screening for target groups.
2. Develop professional guidelines and periodic health examinations for the population, and develop a list of diseases to be screened free for prioritized groups.
3. Review, update and develop professional guidelines for diseases in the free screening list; build a national electronic health record system; and enhance the capacity of health facilities to conduct periodic health examinations or free screening.
4. Develop plans and organize implementation of periodic health examinations or free screening at local levels, including establishing electronic health records.
5. At a meeting on 2 April, Health Minister Dao Hong Lan affirmed that providing periodic health examinations or free screening at least annually is a major change in public health care, particularly beneficial to vulnerable and low-income people.
6. The minister said the measure is not only beneficial to the public but also represents a major shift toward raising awareness of proactive health care.
7. She emphasized that implementation requires more than medical expertise, noting challenges in organizational capacity, mobilizing resources, and coordinating the entire system.
8. The minister stated that health checks and free screening must ensure universal coverage based on electronic health records, and asked implementing units to refine and develop the Plan and professional guidelines rigorously, scientifically, clearly and with high feasibility.
9. She highlighted the need to focus on designing professional content guidelines for periodic health checks linked to creating the electronic health record to scientifically manage health across the life cycle.

Funding, timelines and electronic health record requirements

The minister also required that the Plan specify funding sources, implementation methods, organizational arrangements, human resources, data utilization methods, timelines, and updates to the electronic health record. These elements are intended to serve as a basis for defining the form of periodic health checks and screening by level, from central to local.

TB detection linked to periodic health examinations

The policy text also addresses the integration of tuberculosis detection with periodic health checks, linking screening activities to the broader annual examination framework.

Health insurance coverage from 1 July 2026

The timeline for implementing free health checks for the population is accompanied by ministerial notes, including the statement that health insurance will cover periodic health examinations starting 1 July 2026.

Expected impact

Overall, the policy aims to universalize periodic health checks and free screening through an integrated, life-cycle health management system. It is designed to be funded and coordinated across national and local levels, supported by electronic health records and professional guidelines.