Hanoi, Apr 10 (IANS): With the average number of healthy years for Vietnamese citizens hovering at just 64, health concerns loom large for the aging population, local media reported on Monday.

Research by the Institute of Population, Health and Development shows that 62.3 per cent of elderly people in Vietnam have high blood pressure, and only 86.3 per cent have access to healthcare services, Xinhua news agency reported citing the local media.

The research also reveals that 67 per cent of the elderly have poor health.

On average, an elderly person has three diseases that need monitoring and medical care.

It is forecasted that in 2049, the number of elderly people needing medical support will increase by 2.5 times compared to the current level of 4 million people.

Pham Thang, head of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, said health care for the elderly is an urgent need while medical services for the elderly in the country are still limited.

He added that the system of nursing homes and social protection centres is still limited in quantity and quality.

The number of elderly people in Vietnam has continuously increased rapidly in recent years.

There are about 11.4 million elderly people, accounting for 11.86 per cent of the population.

The Southeast Asian country officially entered the aging population phase in 2011, six years faster than previous forecasts.