Poor and near-poor households need nutritional support

Priority nutrition support policies should focus on groups at high risk of malnutrition and economic difficulties. Therefore, the draft Law on Disease Prevention should add poor and near-poor households to receive nutrition support.

Prioritize nutritional interventions for pregnant women

According to the Government 's Report, after 17 years of implementing the 2007 Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, the Law has created an important legal corridor, contributing to the effective control of many dangerous diseases.

However, the implementation process has revealed limitations, inadequacies and many new issues that need to be resolved, such as: quality of life, disease burden, causes related to nutrition and environmental factors, gaps in policies regulating the prevention and control of infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders. Therefore, the development of a Law on Disease Prevention with a comprehensive scope of disease prevention activities is extremely necessary.

Discussion scene at Group 4 (including National Assembly delegations from Khanh Hoa , Lai Chau, Lao Cai provinces). Photo: Ho Long

Giving opinions at the discussion session in Group 4 (including the National Assembly delegations of Khanh Hoa, Lai Chau , and Lao Cai provinces) on October 23, National Assembly Deputy Khang Thi Mao agreed with the promulgation of the Law on Disease Prevention, however, suggested that the draft Law needs to add some regulations to make it more complete.

Specifically, according to the delegate, Article 3 stipulates that the State's policy on disease prevention needs to add "pregnant women" as a priority target for nutritional intervention. Because pregnant women are a group of people with special and higher nutritional needs than normal, directly affecting the health of the mother, the development of the fetus and the quality of the population.

“Adding this group of subjects to the priority policy will ensure comprehensiveness, humanity, and consistency with the goal of primary health care, contributing to reducing the rate of fetal malnutrition and improving the health of mothers and children,” said delegate Khang Thi Mao.

National Assembly Delegate Khang Thi Mao (Lao Cai) speaks. Photo: Ho Long

Another notable point in the draft Law is the provision on nutrition for certain subjects (Article 33). According to the delegate, this has shown the right direction of humane policy in ensuring nutrition, especially for vulnerable groups and linked to community health care.

Emphasizing that "priority nutrition support policies need to focus on groups at high risk of malnutrition and economic difficulties", delegate Khang Thi Mao suggested that the draft Law should add subjects belonging to poor and near-poor households to receive nutrition support to ensure adequate coverage.

In addition, it is necessary to add “people with chronic diseases” to be monitored, advised and provided with nutritional care in community health management activities. Because people with chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, etc.) have special nutritional needs and need to be monitored and advised regularly, similar to the elderly.

Such a provision will also be consistent with Article 28 of the draft Law on prevention and control of risk factors causing non-communicable diseases, ensuring consistency in preventive health policies.

Prohibit taking advantage of epidemics to increase prices unreasonably

The Draft Law clearly stipulates prohibited acts in disease prevention activities.

Specifically: intentionally spreading infectious agents; people with infectious diseases, suspected of having infectious diseases and people carrying infectious pathogens doing jobs that easily transmit infectious agents according to the provisions of law; concealing, failing to declare or failing to declare in a timely manner cases of infectious diseases according to the provisions of law; intentionally declaring or providing false information about infectious diseases...

Citing reality, delegate Khang Thi Mao said that there are many cases of taking advantage of the epidemic situation to speculate, increase prices, and trade in poor quality goods, seriously affecting epidemic prevention and control work and people's rights.

Therefore, it is necessary to study and add a clause prohibiting "taking advantage of the epidemic to profit, unreasonably increasing prices of essential goods for epidemic prevention and control, or trading in epidemic prevention and control products of unknown origin and poor quality", in order to thoroughly handle the act of taking advantage of the epidemic situation to profit illegally.

Clearly defining this behavior in the Law will create a specialized and complete legal basis for relevant agencies to promptly and strictly handle violations, protect the legitimate rights of people in accessing medical supplies and essential goods at stable prices, and ensure health security.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/ho-ngheo-can-ngheo-can-duoc-ho-tro-dinh-duong-10392650.html