Directive No. 03/2006/CT-BYT on ensuring medical services for the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 2006 APEC Meeting

DIRECTIVE OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

On ensuring health care work to serve the 10th National Congress of the Party and the 2006 APEC Meeting

The 10th National Congress of the Party will be held at the beginning of the second quarter of 2006 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), hosted by Vietnam, will take place in Hanoi in November 2006 with the participation of many high-ranking officials from the Party, State, Delegations of Heads of State, senior officials, and international guests. These are the most important political events of the country in 2006.

To implement the tasks assigned by the Organizing Committee for the 10th National Congress of the Party and the Government Office regarding the preparation and service for the Congress and the Meeting, aiming to strengthen disease prevention, food safety, and emergency medical services, as well as to protect and ensure the health of delegates, the Minister of Health directs:

1. Ensuring environmental hygiene and disease prevention

a) Strengthening environmental hygiene inspection, disease prevention, and epidemic surveillance, early detection of cases, especially avian influenza, SARS, dengue fever, etc., to promptly detect and handle initial cases at all levels, border gates, international airports, conference venues, and meeting rooms.

b) Ensuring environmental hygiene, providing clean water, and preventing the presence of flies, mosquitoes, rats, cockroaches, and other disease-transmitting vectors in hotel and restaurant areas serving the Congress and Meeting in Hanoi and provinces hosting international delegations.

c) Organizing standing disease control teams and strictly implementing information and reporting on epidemics according to Decision No. 4880/2002/QD-BYT dated December 6, 2002, of the Minister of Health. During the Congress and Meeting, daily reports on disease prevention must be submitted.

d) Ensuring human resources, equipment, medicines, chemicals, and necessary means to be ready to address issues related to environmental hygiene and disease prevention. Environmental hygiene and epidemic surveillance must be continuously conducted before, during, and after the Congress and Meeting.

The Preventive Medicine Department of Vietnam is responsible for directing, organizing professional training, inspecting, and urging units to properly fulfill these tasks.

2. Ensuring food safetyt s a) The Steering Committee implementing Directive No. 08/1999/CT-TTg dated April 15, 1999, of the Prime Minister in provinces and centrally-administered cities (hereinafter referred to as provinces) shall direct the Health Departments to coordinate with relevant agencies to strengthen inspections of food safety from the initial procurement of raw materials to transportation, storage, processing, and consumption. Promote activities to ensure food safety, street food, and link them with campaigns to build cultural and healthy families, villages, and neighborhoods.

b) Hotels and guesthouses serving the Congress and Meeting must strictly comply with regulations on facility hygiene, have sources of clean and safe food supply, hygiene during food processing, hygiene of processing equipment, health check-ups, and personal hygiene to ensure food safety for domestic and international delegations, guests, and participants.

c) Supervise the three-step food inspection process (before raw material entry, before food processing, and before consumption) in restaurants throughout the service period of the Congress and Meeting; prepare and be ready to handle mass food poisoning incidents and foodborne diseases. All cases of poisoning (if any) must be handled and reported promptly.

The Food Safety and Hygiene Department is responsible for directing, promoting, guiding, organizing professional training, inspecting, and urging units and localities, including before, during, and after the Congress and Meeting.

3. Ensuring protection and healthcare for delegates and disaster preparedness and response

a) Develop plans to ensure standing emergency medical services to protect and care for the health of officials, staff, and personnel of domestic and international delegations, invited guests, and foreign journalists at event locations, accommodation sites, and establish response plans in case of disasters or mass poisoning incidents.b) Ensure sufficient stocks of medicines, equipment, tools, and transport means at standing emergency medical service points. Medical staff selected to participate in service must meet professional requirements, demonstrate responsibility, show initiative, and cooperate well during the service period. c) Hospitals in Hanoi should develop plans and prepare adequate human resources, facilities, medical equipment, medicines, and beds to be ready to receive patients and participate in emergency care upon request.

The Treatment Department is responsible for directing inspections of hospitals to implement the requirements of the Health Service Work Management Board for the 10th National Congress of the Party and the 2006 APEC Meeting; organizing professional training, preparing medicine stocks, blood, medical equipment, and transport means; developing plans to ensure readiness to respond to possible situations.

4. Ensuring material and logistical support

a) The Ministry of Health's Office is responsible for arranging vehicles, communication means, and other facilities to be ready to serve when requested by the Health Service Work Management Board for the 10th National Congress of the Party and the 2006 APEC Meeting.

b) The Planning and Finance Department of the Ministry of Health is responsible for guiding and allocating funds for the health activities of participating units to ensure the best and most economical service for the Congress and Meeting.

5. Implementation organization                                                             medical equipment and transportation means; develop plans to ensure readiness for possible situations.

4. Ensure material and logistical support:

a) The Office of the Ministry of Health shall be responsible for arranging vehicles, automobiles, and communication facilities to be ready for service upon request from the Steering Committee for Medical Services for the 10th National Congress of the Party and the 2006 APEC Meetings.

b) The Department of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Health shall be responsible for guiding and allocating funds for the medical activities of participating units, ensuring the best and most economical service for the Congress and the Meetings.

5. Organize the implementation and execution

The Health Service Management Board for the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 2006 APEC Meetings shall be responsible for inspecting, monitoring, and reporting to the Minister during the implementation process of this Directive.

The Treatment Department, the Preventive Medicine Department of Vietnam, and the Food Safety and Hygiene Department shall be responsible for directing and supervising the implementation according to their assigned functions and tasks. All Departments, Bureaus, Office, and Inspectorate of the Ministry shall coordinate in directing the implementation of relevant work items.

The Health Services of Hanoi City and other provinces and cities with international border gates and hosting delegations from foreign countries have the responsibility to develop plans to submit to the People's Committee of the province or city for approval and organize the implementation to ensure environmental hygiene requirements, disease prevention, food safety, and emergency medical services, preventive measures, and accident and disaster response as stipulated in Points 1, 2, and 3 of this Directive.

Health Services of provinces not hosting the Congress or Meetings must continue to maintain and enhance results in environmental hygiene, disease prevention, and food safety; strengthen epidemic surveillance efforts to prevent disease spread; launch environmental sanitation campaigns to clean up streets; and be ready to provide professional support when mobilized.

As the time for the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 2006 APEC Meetings approaches, units must urgently organize and implement this Directive. The Health Service Management Board for the Tenth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 2006 APEC Meetings shall be responsible for monitoring, urging, inspecting, and reporting to the Minister of Health on the implementation results of this Directive until the end of the Congress and Meetings.