HCM CITY — Preparations to treat a large-scale outbreak of food poisoning were organised by the city’s Food Safety Management Board and Department of Health at District 7 in the city on Friday.

A rehearsal took place at the factory of Japan Nidec Tosok Company in Việt Nam in the Tân Thuận Processing Park with the participation of the company’s workers and officials of hospitals from districts 7, 4 and Nhà Bè, and the HCM City Emergency Centre 115.

The event attracted representatives from the city’s People’s Committee and Party, the Ministry of Health, health centres at the city’s districts and neighbouring provinces and relevant agencies.

Speaking at the event, head of the city Food Safety Management Board Phạm Khánh Phong Lan said the city has had six outbreaks of food poisoning with 488 people affected since the beginning of the year, mostly involving schools and factory meals.

She said: “The city’s challenge is to ensure food safety for the large number of canteen systems at the export processing and industrial zones around the city.”

The rehearsal served to clarify how to tackle food poisoning incidents and reduce their impact, she said.

The drill was prepared over one month, showing a hypothetical situation of poisoned hundreds workers at the factory in an industrial park.

In this scenario, a few hours after having lunch, some workers have symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and are taken to the company’s health room.

Later, the number of poisoned workers increase and overload the hospital in District 7

Thus, health officials quickly move serious cases to nearest hospital and others to hospitals of districts 4 and Gò Vấp.

As the result, a total 250 serious cases are hospitalised and 50 others receive treatment at the company’s health room.

After checking the company’s canteen, the investigating board announces that the outbreak was caused by the lunch meal. The cooks had used pork meat which have neither a original certificate nor invoice.

They discover three cooks did not have periodic health exams and certificates of food safety knowledge, according to regulations.

The Việt Nam Nidec ToSok Company’s marketing director  Aridome said his company was established in 1995 with only 35 staff members and now has more than 4,000 employees and workers.

Human resources play an important role in his company’s development, thus it is necessary to ensure health for its workers, as a social responsibility to the community, he said.

After the rehersal, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Food Safety and Hygiene Department Nguyễn Hùng Long praised and thanked the contributions of the people who participated in the rehearsal.

Through this rehearsal, health officials and agencies were able to have a good learning experience, which is helpful for their work, he said.

“I hope that the rehearsal will help to raise the awareness of the enterprises’ leaders in the city about their responsibility in prevent food poisoning incidents”, he added. — VNS