After five years of implementing the project “Community-based rehabilitation for victims of chemical toxicants used by the US during the war in Vietnam”, thousands of Agent Orange victims in Quynh Phu district, Thai Binh province, have improved their health and integrated into the community. The project is implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health and the Hanoi University of Public Health.
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Illustrative photo. Source: VNA |
According to district statistics, Quynh Phu has the highest number of Agent Orange victims in Thai Binh province, with more than 8,300 victims, including over 6,300 directly exposed people and 2,000 second-generation victims. Many of the directly exposed victims are wounded and sick soldiers who have lost 81% of their health, and their lives face many difficulties. In 2008, Quynh Phu was therefore one of three districts in the country (Son Tinh district in Quang Ngai and Long Thanh district in Dong Nai being the other two) chosen to pilot the project “Community-based rehabilitation for victims of chemical toxicants used by the US during the war in Vietnam”.
Dr. Dang Duc To, head of the Quynh Phu district health office, said that as soon as the project came to the locality, the district built a network of collaborators in its 38 communes and townships. So far, nearly 230 people have become project collaborators. Most of them are grassroots health workers, which makes it very convenient for them to monitor the health of Agent Orange victims in their areas. Besides helping victims practise rehabilitation exercises, the project collaborators also raise awareness and give advice on preventing injuries, and guide Agent Orange victims, people with disabilities and their family members to exercise regularly, rehabilitate and improve their health. The collaborator network is therefore considered the most important factor in this humane project.
Since 2008, an average of 3,300 – 3,500 people each year have regularly received guidance on rehabilitation exercises at home, including more than 300 Agent Orange victims. After persistent practice, nearly 1,400 people in the district have now completed rehabilitation and integrated into the community (including 61 Agent Orange victims), with more than 60% showing improvement. This is the highest rehabilitation result Quynh Phu has ever achieved.
Surveys show that each year Quynh Phu district has about 150 new people with disabilities, mainly due to injuries and illness. The project has therefore extended rehabilitation to people with disabilities in the district.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Hanh, chairman of the Thai Binh provincial Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, said that improving health and helping Agent Orange victims reintegrate into the community and support themselves is the top priority. Although 2013 is the project's final year, it is only the beginning of a long rehabilitation process for Agent Orange/dioxin victims. With the current collaborator network and the gradual awareness-raising about basic care and exercise for Agent Orange victims and their families, rehabilitation has become a need and a habit for Agent Orange victims and people with disabilities after the project ends.
In the coming period, Thai Binh province will extend the Quynh Phu model to the remaining seven districts and the city, giving Agent Orange victims and people with disabilities the chance to improve their health.
Thu Hoai- Tin Tuc newspaper