20/05/2026
Lao Cai determines efforts to reduce child mortality
LCP - The Lao Cai Provincial People’s Committee issued a Plan to implement the Programme on Reducing Mortality among Children under Five for the 2026 -2030 period, aiming to create strong changes in action and effectively mobilize social resources to improve nutritional conditions, reduce diseases and lower child mortality rates, especially among children under five years old in remote, mountainous, border and ethnic minority areas, as well as disadvantaged regions across the province.
The Plan will be implemented province-wide, with priority given to especially disadvantaged villages and communes, ethnic minority areas, remote and mountainous regions, and border areas where child mortality rates remain high.
The province has set targets for 2030, including ensuring that 95% of women giving birth receive assistance from skilled health workers, over 90% of newborns receive early essential newborn care, and 100% of children aged 0-59 months receive regular health check-ups and have individual health monitoring records established.
To achieve these goals, the province will focus on improving obstetric and pediatric capacity at all healthcare levels, expanding the network of village midwives, and implementing early essential newborn care as well as Kangaroo Mother Care for preterm and low-birth-weight infants.
Expanded immunization has been identified as one of the key interventions, with a target of over 95% of children under one year old receiving full vaccination coverage. The province will organize catch-up and supplementary vaccination campaigns for children who have missed doses, especially in remote areas and localities with large ethnic minority populations.
In addition, the province will implement a range of measures, including prenatal and newborn screening programmes; early detection of congenital abnormalities and diseases for timely management, intervention and treatment; improved nutrition for mothers and children; promotion of breastfeeding; timely detection and treatment of common childhood illnesses; prompt prevention and treatment to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of infectious diseases; and prevention of child injuries and accidents, particularly among children under five years old, focusing on common risks such as drowning, choking, suffocation, burns, poisoning and household accidents.
The Provincial People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Health to take the lead and coordinate with the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and People’s Committees of communes and wards to ensure the Plan is implemented comprehensively and effectively throughout the 2026-2030 period.