Developing education and health care in mountainous areas from specific policies

Improving school nutrition

In 2023, the People's Council of Quang Nam province (old) issued Resolution No. 17 on supporting milk in school meals for preschool children and primary school students in communes of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in regions I, II, III from the 2023-2024 school year to the end of the 2025-2026 school year, with a total implementation cost of more than 130 billion VND.

Of which, in the 2024 - 2025 school year, 11,951 children will receive school milk support, with a total cost of more than 38.7 billion VND.

In the three communes of Tay Giang, Avuong and Hung Son, from September 2024 to March 2025, more than 3,900 students have accessed the policy, with a total of more than 475,060 milk boxes distributed.

Mr. Poloong Nhui, Vice Principal of Lang Primary School (Tay Giang Commune) said that in the 2024-2025 school year, to effectively implement Resolution No. 17, Lang Primary School established a professional team and implemented plans to promptly provide milk for students to drink during school meals. As a result, the whole school has 215 students receiving milk support from the policy.

“School milk is a humane policy, suitable for local conditions, contributing to improving health, physical fitness and reducing malnutrition in schools. Hopefully, in the future, the city will continue to pay attention and promptly implement this policy so that students in mountainous areas can continue to benefit,” said Mr. Nhui.

Along with Resolution 17, children, pupils, students in mountainous areas and ethnic minorities are also supported by many specific policies in the field of education of the People's Council of Quang Nam province (old) such as: Resolution 27/2021 and Resolution No. 07/2024 (amending and supplementing Resolution 27/2021) on support for meals, study costs, scholarships...

In addition, mountainous localities also effectively deployed support resources from projects under the National Target Program on socio -economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; mobilized socialized resources to motivate students to go to school.

According to Mr. Vo Thanh Trieu, Principal of Nguyen Van Troi Ethnic Boarding Secondary School (Tay Giang Commune), thanks to Resolution 27/2021 of the People's Council of Quang Nam Province (old), the school's students are supported with lunch money during their boarding school years, helping their families reduce their financial burden. Thanks to that, the number of students dropping out of school due to difficult circumstances has decreased significantly, and the quality of learning has gradually improved.

“Most of the students have to stay at school from Monday to Saturday because their houses are far from school. The support level of 360,000 VND/month/student according to Resolution 07/2024 is not enough to ensure their lives. I hope the city will pay attention, review and continue to have appropriate support policies in the new period so that students can study with peace of mind,” said Mr. Trieu.

Improve health quality

In the period of 2022 - 2025, Quang Nam province (old) spent more than 48.8 billion VND to support health insurance for ethnic minorities according to Resolution No. 04/2022 of the Provincial People's Council.

School Meal 2 — Investing in education and healthcare will help students in mountainous areas develop comprehensively. Photo: HO QUAN

Mr. Zơrâm Bảo, Director of the Tay Giang Regional Medical Center, said that thanks to the health insurance card, ethnic minorities in the commune proactively go to medical facilities for examination and early treatment, reducing serious illnesses. Thereby, reducing costs and improving health quality.

In parallel, implementing Sub-project 2 and Project 3 of the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction on Nutrition Improvement, in the mountainous areas west of the city, children and pregnant women are given health advice and necessary micronutrient supplements; organizing propaganda activities to prevent malnutrition and provide proper nutrition advice for children under 16 years old...

According to the Department of Health, this sub-project has contributed to improving the nutritional status of children, pregnant and lactating women in the city, especially in mountainous areas. Thanks to that, the rate of malnutrition, stunting and underweight in children under 5 years old has decreased significantly.

In addition, regular weighing, measuring, and monitoring of children's height and weight growth helps to accurately and specifically assess children at risk of malnutrition, thereby providing timely interventions. These interventions not only help children develop physically but also create an important premise for intellectual development and learning ability in the future.

In particular, as health improves, the need for health services decreases, enabling more efficient use of basic social services such as health care, education, and housing.

Project 7 under the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas also contributes significantly to improving the health of ethnic minorities in terms of physical, mental, stature and longevity.

According to the assessment of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, this project ensures that pregnant mothers, mothers giving birth and raising children under 5 months old, and children have access to basic health care services. The rate of malnourished children has improved, and epidemics in mountainous areas have been controlled and eliminated...

With these specific policies, the quality of the health care system and people's health care in mountainous areas is constantly improved. This is the premise for the city to continue to propose new policies in the health sector, thereby reducing the gap between the plains and the mountains.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phat-trien-giao-duc-y-te-mien-nui-tu-chinh-sach-dac-thu-3303242.html