Directive No. 24-BYT/CT on prevention and control of goiter

DIRECTIVE

OF THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

On the prevention and control of goiter

At the National Conference on Goiter Prevention and Control on June 6, 1991, Comrade Do Muoi, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, issued important directives regarding this work. Many senior Party and State leaders, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, and mass organizations such as the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Women's Union, along with leaders from the People's Committees of 22 mountainous and midland provinces where ten million people need to be protected against goiter, attended this significant conference and contributed valuable opinions.

The representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Hanoi also enthusiastically participated in the above conference.

During the ninth session of the Eighth National Assembly, many delegates from the provinces were very concerned about the issue of economic and social development in the mountainous and midland regions, including the problem of protecting and improving the health of ethnic minorities.

To implement Resolution VII of the Party Congress and Resolution 22 of the Political Bureau on enhancing economic and social conditions in the mountains, the Ministry requests that the Health Departments immediately carry out the following tasks:

1. Survey and assess the specific situation regarding the health and diseases of the population. Pay special attention to women of childbearing age, newborns, children under 36 months and under five years old suffering from goiter and mental retardation.

2. Strengthen and improve the goiter stations, absolutely not merging these stations into preventive healthcare centers in provinces where the entire territory falls within areas where goiter is prevalent; do not arbitrarily allocate international aid supplies for the goiter program, such as materials, techniques, chemicals, medicines, transportation means, and other equipment, for other purposes.

3. Organize the implementation of Decision No. 29/BYT-QĐ dated January 18, 1990, and Document No. 4134/QLSK dated July 11, 1991, of the Ministry of Health in their respective provinces and report the results to the Ministry of Health (Department of Science and Technology, Department of Planning and Investment, Department of Medical Services, Department of Pharmaceutical Services) every three months.

4. Integrate the activities of the goiter prevention program with other health programs, first and foremost with malaria prevention, expanded immunization, maternal and child health care, malnutrition prevention, etc., if applicable.

5. Collect archival data from previous years to determine the investment capacity of various funding sources (central, provincial, district domestic and foreign aid) and propose investment levels for the near future.

6. Enhance health education through mass media, closely coordinate with the education, culture, and information sectors, using ethnic languages to raise public awareness about the prevention of goiter and the dangers of the disease to the development of ethnic groups.

7. Truly care for and effectively improve the living standards and professional skills, management, and social activities of medical staff, particularly at the grassroots and district levels. Propose support from relevant departments and levels of the province for this work.

The above are some urgent tasks that need to be carried out simultaneously in the short term to ensure that Resolution VII of the Party Congress and Resolution 22 of the Political Bureau truly and promptly enter the lives of the people, serving the urgent and legitimate interests of ethnic minorities, concretely reflecting the correct viewpoint on ethnic policy of the Party and the State.

Upon receiving this Directive, the Directors of the Health Departments must strictly organize its implementation and report the results to the Ministry. If any issues arise during the process of implementation, they should be reported to the Ministry for study and improvement of policies and plans for goiter prevention and control.