A worker reads about . (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Alcohol
harm prevention content should be included in workplace regulations
by before and during working hours and driving
vehicles, a top health official has said.
Deputy Minister of Health made the recommendation
at a Ministry of Health meeting on the law on
and control on September 28, where
he called for fighting the harms of alcohol with the same resolve as has been used
to fight COVID-19.
Heads of organisations and agencies should take responsibility
if their staff commit alcohol-related violations, and provincial-level People’s
Councils should include
anti-alcohol harm work in their resolutions.
He also suggested localities set up steering boards for
alcohol harm prevention and control, assign tasks to each sector and level of
authority, build plans for law implementation and ensure drastic actions
that match local conditions.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), alcohol is the fifth
leading cause of death in the world and also a cause of many chronic
diseases. Alcohol abuse also affects family and social relations and undermines
the quality of human resources and population.
The deputy minister pointed
out that in Vietnam,
drinking is one of the three leading causes of traffic accidents among males
aged between 15 and 49. The cost of settling alcohol-related traffic accidents
accounts for about 1 percent of GDP.
Meanwhile, the cost of treating six cancers (breast cancer,
colorectal cancer, liver cancer, mouth cancer, stomach cancer, cervical
cancer) with alcohol among the main causes is also a burden on many families
and society.
Statistics indicate an upward trend in the average per capita
alcohol consumption among people aged 15 and above, both male and female, in Vietnam. The rate of alcohol use among
adolescents and the youth is about 80 percent for males and 36 percent for
females.
Notably, more than 40 percent of males use alcohol at a hazardous
level, which is drinking 60 grams of alcohol or more at least once within 30
days.
The deputy minister said given the considerable hazards of
alcohol to public health and social issues, most countries around the
world have strictly controlled alcoholic beverages and discouraged consumption.
In Vietnam, the
law on alcohol harm prevention and control took effect on January 1 to prevent
and minimise the health, social and economic consequences caused
by alcohol abuse.
Under current regulations, people from 16 years old to less than
18 years old can be fined 200,000-500,000 VND (8-21 USD) for consuming alcohol.
Those who drink in banned places like hospitals or schools
during working hours or those who entice others to drink can be fined 500,000 VND to 1 million VND.
Those who drink alcohol before or during working hours or those
who force others to drink would face the fine of 1-3 million VND.
Heads of organisations/agencies can be fined 3-5 million VND if they don’t implement
alcohol harm prevention efforts./.
Source: VietnamPlus
