Pursuant to …;

Approves the Population Control Plan for Coastal and Island Areas for the Period 2009-2020

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PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 27/2007/NQ-CP dated May 30, 2007 of the Government promulgating the Action Program of the Government to implement the Resolution of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tenth Tenure, on the Marine Strategy of Vietnam until 2020;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Health,

DECISION:  

Article 1. Approves the Population Control Plan for Coastal and Island Areas for the Period 2009-2020, with the main contents as follows:

1. Objectives of the Plan:

a) General Objective:

To control the size and quality of the population in coastal and island areas, contributing to successfully implementing population policies and family planning and the objectives of the Marine Strategy of Vietnam until 2020.

b) Specific objectives:

- The population size in coastal and island areas shall not exceed 32 million people in 2010, 34 million people in 2015, and 37 million people in 2020. 34 million people in 2015 and 37 million people in 2020.

- The proportion of couples of reproductive age in coastal and island areas applying modern contraception methods shall reach 70% in 2010, 72% from 2015 to 2020.

- The proportion of workers and residents on islands, coasts, industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, economic zones within coastal and island areas and at sea who have access to maternal and child health care services, reproductive health care, and family planning services shall reach 60% in 2010, 80% in 2015, and 95% in 2020.

- The rate of children in coastal and island areas suffering from congenital malformations, genetic disorders, and intellectual disabilities due to metabolic disorders and genetic factors shall decrease annually by about 5% during the period 2011-2020.

- To provide comprehensive, timely, and accurate information and data on population and family planning in coastal and island areas, meeting management and operational requirements of the population program and family planning, as well as requirements for building socio-economic development plans and master plans up to 2020 at both local and central levels.

2. Implementation period, scope, and target groups of the Plan:

a) Implementation period of the Plan:

- Phase I (from 2009 to 2015): Strive to achieve replacement-level fertility throughout the region; improve population quality; enhance the quality of maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services; improve the quality of population and family planning management information; pilot and expand some models; organize activities to support the provision of maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services.

- Phase II (from 2016 to 2020): Improve population quality; operate the system of population and family planning management information. Expand and implement comprehensively the activities within the scope of the Plan.

b) Scope of implementation of the Plan: In 148 districts, counties, towns, and cities directly under provinces (102 counties, 8 districts, 9 towns, 17 coastal cities directly under provinces, and 12 island counties) of 28 coastal provinces and centrally-administered municipalities (as specified in the Appendix attached hereto).

c) Target groups of the Plan:

Workers and residents living on islands, coasts, industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, economic zones within coastal and island areas, and at sea; priority given to couples of reproductive age, young people, and residents working and living near river mouths and coasts.

3. Tasks and Main Activities of the Plan:

a) Meeting the demand for maternal and child health care and family planning services in coastal and island areas:- Organize mobile medical teams for maternal and child health care and family planning at the district level to carry out communication, counseling, and provision of maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services in island communes, coastal communes, and communes with over 5,000 migrant workers in industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, economic zones, ports, harbors, and fishing ports that lack the conditions to provide regular and high-quality maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services.

- Enhance the capacity of medical staff, provide transportation means, and supplement medical equipment for mobile medical teams for maternal and child health care and family planning at the district level within the implementation scope of the Plan.

- Develop types of information dissemination and counseling on reproductive health care and family planning services and provision of condoms and contraceptives for workers going to sea for long periods before departure, upon arrival at port, and at harbors in coastal communes with many workers at sea. Main activities include: developing and implementing pilot models; providing equipment for counseling points; organizing direct counseling; providing communication materials, condoms, and contraceptives.

- Develop a service model for counseling and provision of maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services for residents living on islands based on combined military-civilian healthcare facilities on islands without such facilities. Main activities include: developing and implementing pilot models; training, instructing, and transferring techniques; organizing service provision; supporting funding for organization, counseling, service provision, and referral for residents; supplementing medical equipment for service provision points.

- - Develop a service model for provision of maternal and child health care, reproductive health care, and family planning services for workers in industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, and economic zones based on healthcare facilities of agencies, enterprises, and construction sites in communes within industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, and economic zones with over 5,000 migrant workers. Main activities include: developing and implementing pilot models; organizing counseling and service provision; transferring techniques, and supplementing medical equipment for service provision points.

b) Improving the quality of births in coastal and island areas industry, construction sites in communes within industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, and economic zones with over 5,000 migrant workers. Main activities: developing and implementing pilot models; organizing advisory services and providing services; transferring technology and supplementing medical equipment for service provision points.

b) Improving the quality of the population at birth in coastal and island regions:

- Establish a model of advisory and health check-up services, including high-risk factor checks that directly impact pregnancy, fetal development, and fetal quality for male-female couples preparing to marry in coastal communes and island districts with a population over 5,000 people. Main activities: developing and piloting the model; training and transferring techniques; organizing direct counseling and managing subjects within the community; supporting funding for health examinations, health checks, testing for Rh (Rhesus) factors, hepatitis B virus, and other factors; providing essential equipment, means, consumables, and chemical reagents for testing.

- Support healthcare for pregnant women at high risk in coastal areas to prevent high-risk factors that directly affect normal fetal development due to marine environmental impacts in coastal communes and island districts with a population over 5,000 people. Main activities: developing and piloting the model; training; organizing direct counseling; supporting funding for health examinations, health checks, and transfer costs for policy beneficiaries and the poor; compiling information and data on pregnant women in the community.

- Develop an intervention model to ensure normal fetal development and health for pregnant women living and working in brackish water areas, lakes, river mouths, and sea ports in coastal communes with brackish water areas, lakes, river mouths, and sea ports. Main activities: developing and piloting the model; training skills in maternal and child health care, family planning; communication, mobilization, organizing direct counseling, and managing subjects within the community; supporting funding for health examinations, health checks, and transfer costs for policy beneficiaries and the poor.

- Support prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and safe abortions.:

Establish a model of advisory and information provision services on preventing unwanted pregnancies, safe abortions, and sexually transmitted disease prevention for unmarried individuals aged 15 to 24 who are not enrolled in education, unemployed, or have unstable employment in coastal communes, industrial zones, export processing zones, tourist areas, economic zones, fishing harbors, fish ports, and seaports. Main activities: developing and piloting the model; producing and distributing pamphlets; training in professional skills; organizing and maintaining club and peer group activities; conducting health checks, providing advisory and reproductive health care services; supplying condoms and contraceptives.

d) Establish and improve the information management system:

Set up and operate an electronic database system specializing in population, family planning, reproductive health, maternal and child health for island districts with a population of 1,000 or more and coastal districts; meeting the information management needs of levels within the scope of the Project. Main activities: surveying needs, establishing management information indicators; installing workstation systems, servers, and connection lines, developing software; training staff and technology transfer; collecting, processing, storing, and exploiting information. d) Enhance and improve the effectiveness of communication on population, maternal and child health, reproductive health, and family planning:

Enhance and improve the effectiveness of communication activities aimed at raising awareness and promoting sustainable behavioral change among target groups regarding population, maternal and child health, reproductive health, and family planning in localities within the scope of the Project. Main activities: researching, building models, developing appropriate message systems for each target group; producing and broadcasting television and radio programs; producing communication materials, organizing communication events and direct counseling activities in communities, households, on boats, and fishermen's gathering places.

e) Improve the effectiveness of Project management

Establish monitoring and evaluation indicators; develop a framework and tools for monitoring and evaluation; conduct baseline, mid-term, and end-of-term surveys; organize learning exchanges both domestically and internationally; organize regular supervision sessions and technical support; conduct surveys, research, and evaluations; organize specialized seminars, conferences; annual plan implementation meetings, mid-term reviews, final summaries; other management activities to enhance organizational capacity and effective implementation of the Project.:

4. Funding for the Project:

The funding for the Project is allocated within the funding for the National Target Program on Population and Family Planning and other sources of funding as prescribed.

5. Management and Implementation Mechanism of the Project:

The management and implementation mechanism of the Project follows regulations on managing and implementing National Target Programs and other relevant current regulations.

6. Implementation of the Project:

- Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, related ministries and sectors, and the People's Committees of 28 centrally governed coastal provinces to direct implementation.

a) Ministry of Health:

- Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Finance to guide, urge, and inspect related ministries, sectors, and the People's Committees of 28 centrally governed coastal provinces in implementation. Project.

; annually organize mid-term and final reviews, report to the Prime Minister. Project- Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to address reproductive health and family planning issues

for couples at high risk of genetic diseases or Agent Orange contamination. - Lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Defense to organize information dissemination, mobilization, counseling, and health care services for mothers, children, reproductive health, and family planning

for military personnel and civilians living and working on islands. for military personnel and civilians living and working on islands.

b) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health to balance and allocate resources for the Project; develop mechanisms and policies to mobilize resources for the implementation of the Project; take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to guide the People's Committees of the 28 coastal provinces and centrally governed cities to effectively integrate the Project into the National Target Program on Population and Family Planning and other National Target Programs in the same locality (from the planning stage to the implementation stage).

c) The Ministry of Finance shall take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, based on the annual state budget capacity, to allocate the budget for ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the Project and consolidate it within the funding for implementing the National Target Program on Population and Family Planning, report to the Government for submission to the National Assembly for decision; provide guidance, audit, and inspect the use of funds for implementing the Project in accordance with the State Budget Law and other related laws.

d) The Ministry of Education and Training shall effectively implement population education, reproductive health, gender, and sexuality education both inside and outside schools within the scope of the Project.

đ) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall incorporate population content into agricultural extension, forestry extension, fishery extension, and rural development programs within the scope of the Project.

e) Other ministries and sectors shall cooperate with the Ministry of Health and the People's Committees of the 28 coastal provinces and centrally governed cities to implement the Project within their assigned tasks..

g) The People's Committees of the 28 coastal provinces and centrally governed cities:

- Actively mobilize resources and exploit the advantages of each locality; organize the implementation of the Project according to the directives and guidance of the Ministry of Health and relevant ministries and sectors;

- Effectively integrate the Project into the National Target Program on Population and Family Planning and other National Target Programs in the locality (from the planning stage to the implementation stage); regularly inspect the implementation of the Project at the local level; implement the annual reporting system on the implementation of the Project in the locality in accordance with current regulations.

h) Request the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and its member organizations, and social professional organizations to participate in implementing the Project within the scope of their activities.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect from May 25, 2009..

Article 3. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of agencies under the Government, Chairpersons of the People's Committees of the 28 coastal provinces and centrally governed cities are responsible for implementing this Decision./.