Sharing at the rally "Responding to the Patriotic Hygiene Day to improve people's health in 2023 - For a healthy and sustainable Vietnam" on June 30, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said that, recognizing the importance of hygiene in disease prevention and control, since 2012 the Government has issued Directive No. 29 to implement the Patriotic Hygiene Movement to improve people's health.
After 10 years of implementation, the Movement has received attention and direction from all levels of government; the coordination of departments, unions, and socio-political organizations from the central to local levels has created positive and sustainable effects.
Thanks to that, clean water, personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, disease prevention and control, food safety and hygiene, occupational hygiene, hygiene in medical facilities, and hygiene in educational facilities have been gradually improved.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong spoke at the ceremony.
The main results of the movement are: 100% of provinces/cities annually develop plans and organize the implementation of the movement; the rate of people maintaining the habit of washing hands with soap has doubled compared to 2012; the rate of rural households with toilets has increased from 79% (2012) to 97% (2022);
The rate of rural households with hygienic latrines increased from 57% (2012) to 80.1% (2022); the rate of urban residents with access to clean water increased by nearly 14% from 78.5% in 2012 to 92% in 2022;
The rate of rural households using hygienic water increased by 12.5% from 80% in 2012 to 92.5% in 2022; the rate of health stations with clean water and hygienic toilets improved significantly from 84.2% in 2012 to 96% in 2019; school hygiene conditions were improved, ensuring enough drinking water, domestic water, and hygienic sanitation facilities; food poisoning was under control, with a significant reduction in the number of cases, cases, and deaths.
The effectiveness of the movement in changing personal hygiene and environmental sanitation behaviors and improving sanitation and clean water conditions for people in the community has contributed to significantly reducing infectious diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, diarrhea, hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue fever, encephalitis, flu, etc.
Improving sanitation and clean water conditions for people in the community has contributed to significantly reducing infectious diseases.
The A (H5N1) flu epidemic has also been well controlled in the past 10 years and Vietnam is recognized as one of the most successful countries in controlling A (H5N1) flu.
Cholera has not been recorded in the past 10 years. By 2022, diarrhea has decreased 5 times, bacillary dysentery has decreased 17 times, typhoid has decreased 2 times, encephalitis has decreased 4 times, and hand, foot and mouth disease has decreased 2 times compared to 2012.
The Deputy Minister of Health emphasized, “During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation have been affirmed as one of the key solutions contributing to the rapid control of the epidemic.”
The achievements of preventive medicine and the patriotic hygiene movement to improve people's health, in addition to directly reducing the rate of disease, mortality, and sequelae for patients, also indirectly contribute to reducing the number of hospitalizations, reducing treatment and medical care costs, reducing the time and effort of relatives caring for patients, thereby creating positive impacts not only for individuals but also for the whole community.
Despite the many achievements, we are currently facing many difficulties and challenges. According to information from the World Health Organization in 2023 and 2024, the El Nino phenomenon may increase the transmission of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne infectious diseases.
Environmental pollution, climate change, urbanization, and rapid population growth are factors that cause a number of emerging and re-emerging diseases to flare up again, directly affecting people's health.
The Deputy Minister also requested ministries, authorities at all levels, and socio-political organizations to proactively develop a plan for the Patriotic Hygiene Movement for the period up to 2030 and an annual plan, integrating the movement's activities into plans, programs, and projects to ensure the achievement of the goals of relevant National Target Programs.
Increase investment, socialize and mobilize resources from organizations, businesses, collectives, individuals, households and domestic and foreign organizations.
The Program for a Healthy and Sustainable Vietnam for the 2023-2028 period has many key tasks.
Strengthen propaganda and mobilize people, sectors, unions and students to participate in environmental sanitation campaigns, personal hygiene, and use of clean water to prevent epidemics; actively coordinate with the health sector in implementing campaigns to kill mosquito larvae and larvae to prevent dengue fever.
Various activities in response to the Patriotic Hygiene Day to improve people's health in 2023 include: Organizing a rally with the theme "For a healthy and sustainable Vietnam";
Organize communication activities such as: Hanging billboards, banners, communication slogans on hygiene and disease prevention; displaying achievements of the health sector, implementing patriotic hygiene movements to improve people's health...
Within the framework of the ceremony, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Department of Health Environment Management (Ministry of Health) and Unilever Vietnam on the Program for a Healthy and Sustainable Vietnam for the period 2023-2028 with many key tasks. The cooperation program is expected to contribute to raising awareness and hygiene and health conditions for people, while building a sustainable medical environment in Vietnam .
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