To strengthen medical work during the Lunar New Year 2024 in Vietnam

To strengthen medical work during the Lunar New Year 2024 in Vietnam (Internet image) 

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On January 5, 2024, the Ministry of Health issued Directive 01/CT-BYT in 2024 on strengthening medical work to ensure the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024.

To strengthen medical work during the Lunar New Year 2024 in Vietnam

1. Regarding disease surveillance and response

To strengthen measures to ensure a joyful and healthy Tet holiday, the Ministry of Health requests the health departments of provinces and centrally run cities to:

- Advise the People's Committees of provinces and cities to strengthen guidance on epidemic and disease prevention and control during the Lunar New Year 2024; mobilizing resources and participation of departments, branches, and unions in health work during Tet.

- Continue to monitor, supervise, early detect, and promptly handle infectious disease outbreaks, preventing their spread to the community. Strengthen disease inspection and surveillance at border gates to detect, isolate, and promptly handle suspected cases and cases of infectious diseases, preventing diseases from entering and spreading into Vietnam. .

- Assign staff to be on duty 24/7 during the Tet holiday; direct units to develop plans to assign tasks; and strictly implement disease reporting according to regulations.

- Develop a plan to be ready to respond to epidemic situations according to motto 4 on the spot; Fully prepare chemicals, equipment, vehicles, and human resources to ensure they meet the requirements for disease prevention and control in the area.

- Strengthen inspection, supervision, and monitoring of the implementation of disease prevention and control during the Tet holiday.

2. Regarding medical examination and treatment

- Direct medical facilities in the area: (i) organize a 24-hour response; (ii) ensure adequate supplies of drugs, blood, infusion fluids, supplies, chemicals, medical equipment, and medical oxygen; Prepare emergency plans for crowded events; arrange the number of hospital beds and facilities, ready to respond, to serve treatment and emergencies, especially emergency aid for traffic accidents, fires, explosions, injuries, food poisoning, and treatment of patients with infectious diseases during Tet; (iii) Thoroughly implement medical staff's rules and regulations of the hospital, improve service awareness and the culture of behavior towards patients and patients' families when coming for examination and treatment; (iv) Visit and wish New Year to patients receiving inpatient treatment, especially people in difficult circumstances, the poor, and people in need.

- Direct private medical facilities to have plans to coordinate with public medical facilities in the area to participate in implementing medical work to ensure the Lunar New Year in 2024; prepare the necessary conditions to participate in coordinated activities when required.

- Mobilize and mobilize legal support resources; fully and promptly deploy regimes and policies to encourage medical staff during Tet, especially medical staff participating in Tet duty.

- Develop and implement plans to inspect and supervise the implementation of medical examinations and treatments at medical facilities in the area.

3. Regarding food safety

- Department of Health of provinces and cities and Department of Food Safety of City. Ho Chi Minh City, Food Safety Management Board of Ho Chi Minh City. Da Nang, Food Safety Management Board of Bac Ninh province: Advising the local inter-sectoral food hygiene and safety steering committee to implement the food safety assurance plan for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon and the 2024 Spring Festival season; Coordinate with relevant departments, branches, and branches to promote propaganda and dissemination of regulations and knowledge on food safety to raise awareness and consciousness of the community in ensuring food safety through many appropriate forms and media; which focus on food consumers, housewives, people who directly purchase and process food, and food producers and traders; mobilize the entire society to participate in preventing and fighting the production and trading of fake and poor quality food.

- Strengthen interdisciplinary inspections and inspections to ensure food safety before, during, and after Tet, focusing on product groups that are highly consumed during Tet and festivals with high risk factors; promptly detect and strictly handle violations; and at the same time, praise organizations, individuals, and locations that produce and trade safe food for the community.

- Strictly implement reporting and statistics on food safety; report results to the Ministry of Health (Department of Food Safety) on time.

4. Regarding communication

- Coordinate with relevant units to organize communication and disseminate knowledge to units and people in the area about disease prevention and control according to recommendations of the Ministry of Health, especially infectious diseases, respiratory diseases, and groups at high risk of disease such as children with weak resistance, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions.

- Strengthen communication to ensure food safety and not abuse alcohol and beer during Tet and festivals.

- Proactively provide information and coordinate with local press agencies to promptly provide information about medical work during Tet in the area.

More details can be found in Directive 01/CT-BYT 2024, issued on January 5, 2024.

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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