Health ministry shuts down rumours of ‘penalties for the unmarried’

A falsified photo about the health minister’s proposal for ‘social responsibility penalties for unmarried people’ has been circulating on social media. — VNS Screenshot

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has issued a statement refuting rumours that ‘penalties for unmarried people’ are being considered to combat ageing population and falling birth rates in the country, calling them distorted information that deliberately cause public misunderstanding.

The false information that the health ministry is considering a pilot programme that ‘punishes’ single people has recently been spreading across social media.

On August 13, the Minister of Health issued Official Dispatch No 4737/BYT-VPB1 in response to HCM City’s voter recommendations, including a proposal for “specific measures to increase the birth rate in urban areas.”

This document also states that in order to maintain the replacement fertility rate, a reasonable structure of the working-age group and sustainable population growth, the Prime Minister has approved the Birth Rate Adjustment Programme in an official decision on April 28, 2020.

Rumours might have stemmed from a particular document, which mentions: “Gradually piloting measures to increase contribution responsibilities to the community and society for individuals who opt not to enter marriage or marry at an older age.”

In localities that have achieved replacement fertility or are seeing low fertility rates, priority should be given to advocating, encouraging and supporting couples to have two children per household, the document also said, with no penalties proposed for unmarried people.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health has reiterated that rumours of such penalties are falsified information, leading to public discontent. — VNS