At a working session with these agencies in Hanoi on September 24, Ms Doan said the Party and State have already developed many policies to improve the lives of AO victims, but that there are snags in these policies at grassroots level that must be ironed out soon.
Ms Doan asked the Ministry of Health to set up criteria for identifying victims so that it can calculate the exact number of people who have been exposed to and affected by the toxic chemicals. The ministry must complete a list of illnesses victims have suffered as a consequence of exposure to the chemicals.
The Vice President proposed that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issue a document guiding cities and provinces in implementing the current policies and also make recommendations to the Government for revising a number of policies.
She also asked the Vietnam Red Cross Society and the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) to work closely together to provide the best possible services to the victims.
According to VAVA, Vietnam now has 4.8 million AO victims, including those who fought in the Vietnam War and those who have since lived in AO-contaminated areas. Every year, the State spends approximately VND800 billion providing medical check-ups and assisting AO victims.
