PM asks for measures to prevent child drownings

Children attend a free swimming class held in central Quảng Trị Province last year. — VNA/- VnExpress News Photo 

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has required ministries, agencies and localities to enhance measures to prevent child drownings and ensure safety for children.

The move was made following recent cases of drownings that killed many children in a number of localities. 

Ministries, agencies and localities are asked to take effective, drastic and comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of children, particularly during the summer and the rainy and storm season.

Focus will be made on continuing to seriously implement the Prime Minister’s Decision dated July 2021 approving the programme on preventing and managing children’s accidents and injuries for the period 2021-30 and the PM’s Direction dated May 2020 about enhancing measures to implement children’s rights and protect children with attention being paid to drowning prevention.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is advised to guide ministries, agencies and people’s committees to strictly follow directions about child drowning prevention and control issued by the PM and the National Committee for Children and make yearly reports about the implementation results to the PM.

It is also asked to increase inspection and supervision over the implementation of child drowning prevention and control tasks at localities, particularly in provinces and cities where child drownings often happen. 

The ministry is tasked to regularly review and propose mechanisms, policies and measures to prevent child drownings.

The PM asks the Ministry of Education and Training to strengthen communication and education to raise awareness, knowledge, and skills relating to drowning prevention and control in schools, particularly before the summer holidays; organise swimming classes for students and increase coordination between schools and families to supervise and manage students during holidays and break times to ensure safety for children.

The Ministry of Health is required to guide medical establishments in providing emergency treatments in case of child drownings. 

The Ministry of Information and Communications is entrusted to increase information dissemination to raise public awareness of child drowning prevention and control as well as to popularise measures and techniques to provide first aid for children in case of drownings. 

The PM orders the people’s committees of localities to coordinate with local agencies to implement measures to prevent child drownings; review and check areas at high risk of causing drownings such as lakes, rivers and deep-water areas; and increase investment in infrastructure to organise swimming classes for children.

The programme on preventing and managing children’s accidents and injuries for the period 2021-30 targets that 60 per cent of children aged from six to 16 can swim.

Speaking at a recent conference held in Hà Nội to discuss measures for preventing child drownings, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyễn Thị Hà stated that drowning remains among the leading causes of death for children and juveniles in Việt Nam.

The drowning kills some 2,000 children in Việt Nam each year.

In the latest case, a third-grade child in southern Bình Phước Province drowned on Monday while swimming at a lake that supplies water to Thác Mơ Hydropower Plant in Bù Đăng District.

On Sunday, two children, aged six and five, in south central Bình Thuận Province drowned after falling into a lake near their homes in Tân Thuận Commune. — – VnExpress News