Speaking at a session on Covid-19 prevention and control at Thanh Nhan Hospital, Party Committee Secretary Vuong Dinh Hue said it would not be an easy task, but the committee is resolved to achieve it.

Tran Thi Nhi Ha, deputy director of the city Department of Health, said the department has developed a plan for the free check and it would be implemented from March.

People would be screened and categorized based on their age and occupation for checkups, she said.

"Students are expected to have checkups at educational institutions. Workers will have theirs at their company."

People who require diagnosis and treatment at a hospital would be monitored online, she added.

Since 2017 Hanoi has been providing free colorectal cancer screening for people aged 40 and above through their health insurance, and hundreds of thousands have benefited so far.

The city has around 8.2 million people, distributed almost evenly between urban and rural areas, according to the Hanoi Statistics Office.