Healthcare for ethnic minority people
Lately, Dieu Tien, a 12-year old child of Dieu Thi Tram of S’tieng ethnic minority group in Hung Phuoc commune, Bu Dop district, had dengue fever and was taken to the Medical Station of Hung Phuoc commune for treatment. Apart from treating Mrs. Tram’s child, the medical staff instructed her on how to take care of her children instead of applying backward and superstitious practices.
Ethnic minority people in Binh Phuoc province mostly live in border and remote areas and are facing numerous difficulties. They are at high risk of getting some common diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, and diarrhea, posing a huge challenge to the local health sector. More seriously, hostile forces take advantage of poor healthcare infrastructure, backward customs, and other limitations to entice and incite people to destabilize political security and reduce people's trust in leadership of party committees and local authorities.
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Ethnic minority people having their health checked |
Fully aware of that situation, Binh Phuoc has paid special attention to raising the quality of healthcare for people and socio-economic development in ethnic minority groups. In realizing the provincial Party Committee’s guidelines, local health sector has conducted a series of programs and movements and mobilized social resources to invest in health facilities in border and remote areas.
One of the most successful models is the investment and technology transfer program for the commune-level healthcare system. This program has helped reduce the infant mortality rate and improve the quality of primary healthcare for people. Up to now, the province has built a comprehensive grassroots healthcare network, meeting locals’ basic needs for health examination, treatment, and primary healthcare. In addition, malnutrition and disease prevention have been effectively implemented. Thanks to that, the rate of malnourished children under 5 years old has decreased to less than 9%. The province has issued many policies on reducing fees for ethnic minority people who are receiving health examination and treatment at public health establishments, thus helping them feel secure to work to stabilize their lives.
Creating livelihood and jobs for locals
Mr. Dieu Be, a S’tieng ethnic minority man in Loc Hoa commune, Loc Ninh district, is one of those who have benefited from the local authorities’ livelihood program. As a worker, Be’s life was unstable since he frequently changed his jobs. Learning about his situation, in 2019, the local authorities decided to present breeding cows to him. Thanks to assiduousness and proper techniques, Be has managed to carry out the cow raising model. Recently, he earned VND 30 million from selling three cows. Thanks to that, his family’s life has been improved.
Similarly, in 2022, the family of Mrs. Cao Thi Chung, a Thai ethnic minority woman in Thanh Hoa commune, Bu Dop district, was presented with seven breeding pigs by benefactors. The pig raising model has helped her family raise their income, thus stabilizing their life.
Be and Chung’s families are among hundreds of needy households receiving livelihoods within the Binh Phuoc provincial Party Committee’s annual program on reducing the number of poor ethnic minority households by 1,000. With the guidelines of helping ethnic minority groups have safe houses, good health, sustainable livelihood, knowledge, and cultural lifestyle, the Southern province of Binh Phuoc has developed different specific mechanisms and policies to support ethnic minority groups.
According to Deputy Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bu Dop district Van Cong Danh, the locality has reviewed and learned about the situation as well as production customs of local people, thus giving suitable assistance to locals and creating suitable production models for them. Apart from providing housing support, the district has dug wells, presented water tanks and pumps, installed electricity system, given loans, provided vocational training, shared farming techniques, offered farming tools and vehicles, and created jobs for locals.
Those supports have helped locals improve their living standards. From practical experience, the district has built and developed such effective production models as pepper growing, cattle and poultry raising and organized training for ethnic minority cadres.
Since the beginning of this year, Binh Phuoc has created jobs for more than 38,400 people and provided vocational training for over 6,300 people. In 2022, more than 2,200 households in the province escaped poverty, bringing the poverty rate in ethnic minority groups down to under 1%. The achievements are seen as the firm foundation for ethnic minority people to promote their identity, traditions, and customs, thus building the national unity bloc and firm “people’s heart posture.”
Translated by Tran Hoai