Preventing the harmful effects of alcohol and beer

The Emergency Department of the Provincial General Hospital has received many cases of traffic accidents caused by alcohol consumption. A recent case is Mr. Hang Seo L. (Lung Phinh commune, Bac Ha district) was admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries, with a fatal prognosis; Mr. Nguyen Van H. (Cam Con commune, Bao Yen district) suffered a traumatic brain injury...

Doctor Pham Van Duong, Deputy Head of the Emergency Department, said: The rate of patients using alcohol and beer accounts for 1/5 of patients admitted to the emergency room. Many patients admitted to the hospital have traffic accidents, alcohol poisoning, behavioral disorders or liver and stomach diseases... due to the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol and beer are the direct cause of at least 30 diseases and injuries and the indirect cause of at least 200 diseases; are one of the four main risk factors for non-communicable diseases; can cause damage to many organs and functions of the body such as mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases and affect the quality of the race, fetal development... In addition, the use of alcohol and beer can cause economic burdens for individuals, families and society; are one of the three leading causes of increased traffic accidents, are the cause of accidents, injuries, domestic violence, crime...

Currently, controlling alcohol concentration when participating in traffic is an effective measure to prevent and combat the harmful effects of alcohol and beer. The provincial police have been strengthening patrols, controls, and handling violations by thematic subjects of drivers participating in traffic who violate alcohol, drug, stimulant concentrations, and behaviors that pose a high risk of causing traffic accidents. In 2023, the provincial police traffic police force patrolled, controlled, and detected 5,504 cases of alcohol concentration violations; imposed fines of more than 22 billion VND, detained more than 5,000 vehicles, and revoked the driving licenses of more than 3,000 cases... Along with that, departments, branches, and localities have stepped up propaganda and dissemination of the Law on Prevention and Combat of Alcohol and Beer Harm and detailed implementing regulations.

Currently, in the province, there are more than 2,100 establishments producing and trading in wine and beer products (these establishments are mostly small-scale and the products are hand-made wine). The wine production output is about 3 million liters/year, the average annual consumption is nearly 2 million liters of all kinds. The products circulating on the market are assessed by the functional sector to basically comply with regulations. However, there are still business households that have not complied with the provisions of the law on wine production, trading and unlicensed wine making. The majority of them are small-scale, fragmented hand-made wine production establishments; the production and processing process is largely based on experience passed down within the family.

In 2023, the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Department took post-inspection samples and sent them to the laboratory for testing with the required testing indicators: Ethanol, Methanol. The result was that 100% of the tested samples met the self-declared indicators. Rapid testing of wine products at production and business establishments and local cultural and political events also showed that the samples met the standards. Every year, the province establishes interdisciplinary inspection and examination teams to ensure food safety for wine products at wine production and business establishments in the area; focusing on surprise inspections and examinations to detect early and resolutely handle violations; promote propaganda and dissemination of legal regulations, instruct consumers to only use wine and beer products with clear origin. In 2023, the Market Management Department of Lao Cai province inspected 11 cases, of which 8 cases were handled with a total handling value of more than 90 million VND due to violations in trading in alcohol of unknown origin, retailing alcohol for on-site consumption with an alcohol concentration of more than 5.5 degrees but not registering the retail sale of alcohol for on-site consumption with the economic department.

In the community, the grassroots health system is actively participating in the prevention and control of the harmful effects of alcohol and beer.

Mr. Ma Quang Hai, Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control, said: In 2023, medical facilities have deployed and implemented measures to care for, support, and protect children, women, and other vulnerable groups to prevent and reduce the harmful effects of alcohol and beer; promoted propaganda through direct propaganda, in which the medical team in villages and hamlets plays an important role...

Although many solutions have been proposed, the most important thing is that each citizen needs to raise awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol abuse and should only use alcohol in moderation, drink in a cultured manner and be responsible for themselves and society.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/phong-chong-tac-hai-cua-ruou-bia-post382490.html