Hanoi, Nov. 13 -- Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has proposed that Japan's Kanagawa prefecture and Vietnam shift cooperation in preventative healthcare from sharing experience to producing concrete outcomes.

During a reception in Hanoi on November 13 for Governor of Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji, Tra said that as Vietnam is entering a period of rapid population ageing, there is practical significance in studying and adopting a healthcare model that focuses on prevention and early detection of disease risks.

Suggesting a shift in cooperation, she said the first step is building model preventative healthcare centres, then assessing and scaling them in localities. She cast the plan as a way to lift care quality, especially for...