Ethnic minority small traders teach people how to properly wash their hands to prevent COVID-19. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Health

HÀ GIANG — Ethnic minority small traders were provided with knowledge and skills on disease prevention, especially COVID-19, at a contest in the mountainous province of Hà Giang on Wednesday.

The contest was part of a programme on strengthening communication on preventing and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Việt Nam Women's Union, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Việt Nam and the Embassy of Japan in Việt Nam.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Health Đỗ Xuân Tuyên, said: “I hope that more people, especially ethnic minority small traders in Hà Giang Province will have more access to healthcare services and be provided with medical knowledge to both effectively fight epidemics and to develop a sustainable economy in order to contribute to the implementation of the prevention of winter-spring diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic in Hà Giang Province.”

Tuyên also suggested the province's health sector carry out health communication and education activities to instruct each citizen about ways to prevent diseases such as vaccination, nutritious eating, keeping warm and personal and environment hygiene, especially monitoring, detecting and promptly handling outbreaks in the community as well as organising care and treatment for patients.

At the contest, representatives from the Women's Union at all levels in Hà Giang City and Mèo Vạc, Đồng Văn, Quản Bạ ​​and Yên Minh districts showed off their talent in disseminating knowledge and mobilising people, especially people in upland areas and ethnic minority small traders to practise disease prevention measures.

In order to raise awareness and call for the community to take measures to prevent and combat epidemics and to support ethnic minority traders in Hà Giang to both develop a sustainable economy and effectively fight epidemics, the health ministry launched a chain of communication activities for disease prevention and control in 2020. Media packages with contents on disease prevention and control, especially COVID-19 prevention, will be developed through various forms of infographics, TV and radio spots with the message "Living safely with COVID-19".

The ministry also donated packages of medical supplies for pandemic prevention to Hà Giang Province, including 10,000 medical masks and 900 bottles of hand sanitiser to the Hà Giang Department of Health and 60,000 medical masks and 1,200 bottles of hand sanitiser to the Hà Giang Provincial Women's Union.

The health ministry also helped enhancing the capacity of health resources, training and fostering knowledge about disease prevention and control at the grassroots level, building a communication network in the community, local mass media through training, talent competitions, photo exhibition, leaflets, loudspeaker systems, newspapers and social networks.

Hà Giang has many mountainous areas with difficult living conditions and a lack of clean water in the dry season. The province faces many risks of infectious diseases such as measles, meningococcal encephalitis and respiratory diseases, food poisoning, diarrhoea and disease outbreaks in the winter. — VNS