In a significant health initiative, over one million residents of Ho Chi Minh City have undergone free health checkups and established electronic health records. This milestone was reached within two months of launching the city's comprehensive health program.

As of July 25, the city's Department of Health reported that 1,000,375 individuals had participated in the health checkups. This achievement follows the issuance of a plan by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to implement the health program.

Initially, within the first 50 days of the program, more than 500,000 residents had received health checkups. However, in just the subsequent 10 days, the number of participants doubled due to an extensive campaign dubbed "150 Days and Nights," which commenced on July 16.

The program was conducted simultaneously at 168 health stations across wards, districts, and various public and private hospitals. Thousands of healthcare workers dedicated their time, even working on holidays and evenings, to ensure the success of this initiative.

In addition to fixed health checkup locations, mobile health teams were organized to visit businesses, schools, residential areas, and provide home visits for the elderly, disabled individuals, or those with mobility challenges.

Unlike standard health checkups, each participant's health information was recorded or updated in an electronic health record. This system stores health data over time, allowing doctors to access vital information for diagnosis and treatment, while also aiding in chronic disease management and early risk detection.

The Ho Chi Minh City health sector is also developing an interconnected electronic health record system that will integrate data from various healthcare facilities. Once completed, expected by the end of 2026, residents will no longer need to repeatedly provide basic health information when visiting different hospitals, and doctors will be able to easily access patients' medical histories.

According to the Director of the Department of Health, Tang Chi Thuong, reaching the milestone of one million participants is just the beginning of the program's journey toward building a healthcare system centered on the people, shifting the focus from merely treating patients to promoting overall public health.

The city is now entering the acceleration phase of the "150 Days and Nights" campaign, aiming to complete health checkups and establish electronic health records for the entire population by 2026. Following its merger, Ho Chi Minh City has an estimated population of around 14 million.