Government Holds Regular Meeting in October: Insufficient Efforts in Avian Flu Prevention
An important topic discussed at the regular government meeting on October 29th was the emergency action plan for preventing outbreaks of avian influenza and human flu pandemics.
Many government members expressed that the efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health to combat avian flu and human flu have not been vigorous or specific enough.
Many policies and measures have remained as mere documents, directives, and plans, with numerous concrete tasks still unaddressed. For instance, the management of transportation, quarantine, slaughtering, and processing of poultry has not been tightly controlled, while public awareness of disease prevention is lacking.
The Prime Minister emphasized the need to widely implement a disease detection network involving the Fatherland Front, various organizations, veterans, and retired officials.
To mitigate the risk of an outbreak, it is crucial to strictly monitor the processes of transportation, trade, quarantine, vaccination, slaughtering, and processing of poultry, while clearly defining the responsibilities of each unit and individual involved.
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Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải |
“In the short term, we need to quickly implement several actions such as prohibiting poultry farming in densely populated cities, towns, and districts; encouraging and urging people not to consume poultry meat; and closely controlling quarantine, trade, and poultry slaughtering” – Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải stated.
In response to questions from the press at the post-meeting briefing, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson, Mr. Nguyễn Kinh Quốc, clarified that the responsibilities of the two ministries have been distinctly outlined by the Prime Minister: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for preventing the spread of avian flu, while the Ministry of Health is tasked with preventing its transmission to humans. According to the spokesperson, the estimated budget for avian flu prevention efforts is around 2 trillion VND (over 100 million USD).
Another significant long-term issue that government members discussed extensively was the national target program for employment in the period of 2006-2010.
According to a report from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the employment program created jobs for 7.5 million people during 2001-2005, with the urban unemployment rate decreasing annually (6.28% in 2001 to 5.31% in 2005), and the labor utilization rate in rural areas gradually increasing (74% in 2001 to 80% in 2005). The labor structure has shown a noticeable positive shift, and the quality of labor has been progressively improved.
To achieve the employment program’s goal of creating jobs for 8 million people in the 2006-2010 period, Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải suggested integrating efforts with poverty alleviation programs, focusing on rural and mountainous areas, and ethnic minority communities, linking the implementation of these programs with agricultural, fishery, and forestry promotion initiatives.
N.LINH – D.THÁI
