Việt Nam ranks first in the ASEAN region and third in the Asia in beer consumption. The country consumes about 3.4 billion litres of beer and 600 million litres of liquor yearly, worth US$3 billion or three per cent of the country’s GDP.— Photo healthplus.vn

HÀ NỘI (VNS) — The Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health (IPMPH) and Methanol Institute (MI) today launched a programme to protect people from improperly brewed, homemade alcohol and methanol-laced alcoholic drinks.

Under the framework of the five-year programme, MI and the Medical University’s IPMPH, in partnership with Bạch Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Centre and LIAM Charitable Fund, will develop a five-year Việt Nam Methanol Education Programme (VMEP) from 2016 to 2020.

“We believe the programme will provide critical training and education to our communities and to the medical teams that work tirelessly to provide them with the best healthcare services,” the Hà Nội Medical University Rector Nguyễn Đức Hinh said.

The VMEP will encompass training of medical personnel and public healthcare workers in community, regional and municipal hospitals. The programme will also provide educational outreach to the Vietnamese public, including at-risk communities.

These programmes will also highlight the serious risks of methanol poisoning associated with traditional and homemade alcohol production.

MI and IPMPH are currently conducting an extensive study in Phú Thọ Province. This will provide greater clarity on the causes of methanol poisoning due to the consumption of improperly brewed, homemade alcohol in the province. The two organisations will then develop a pilot VMEP model in Phú Thọ this year, with the aim of expanding the model to other provinces and cities nationwide.

“Based on the success of this programme in Indonesia with LIAM, MI has a solid foundation on which we can build a successful programme in Việt Nam – one that we are confident will save many lives in the years to come,” Chairman of MI’s Product Stewardship Committee John Livorness said.

The health ministry said Việt Nam consumed about 3.4 billion litres of beer and 600 million litres of liquor yearly, worth US$3 billion or three per cent of the country’s GDP. The country reports 26 deaths and tens of injuries daily, of which 60 per cent are caused by improperly brewed, homemade alcohol and methanol-laced alcoholic beverages. —VNS