Care homes for AO victims needed

Lam Dong (VNA) – Centre providing care for Agent Orange/dioxin victims ought to be established, said Lieut. Gen. Trieu Xuan Hoa, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands at a conference held in Lam Dong province on December 15.

The after-effects of dioxin-containing Agent Orange herbicide sprayed by US troops during the war might continue for generations while veterans who were exposed to the toxic chemical and are taking care of their suffered offspring are getting old and weaker, he said.

He requested localities to include providing assistance for the victims in their political and social agendas.

The conference reviewed a project to support AO victims, which has been carried out in the five Central Highlands provinces and the southern province of Tay Ninh since 2011 and will run through 2016.

The project surveyed demands of more than 2,200 targeted families, providing orthopaedic surgeries for 126 out of 215 victims and financial assistance for 867 disadvantaged households.

Provinces recorded sound outcomes were Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong and Tay Ninh.

However, the volume of vulnerable families and their demand have been surpassed those reached by the project.

In 2016, local authorities should be more active in taking part in the project by providing more financial support for the victims, noted Nguyen Thi Thu Ha from The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin Fund.-VNA