Workers at automobile-making factory of Ford Company in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vu Duc Kham, 43, was justcoming out of anaesthesia after seven hours of having his lungs washed at theCoal and Mineral Hospital in Hanoi.
His lungs were found to be covered with silica after17 years working underground as a coal miner in the northern province of QuangNinh. He did not know he contracted silicosis until he underwent a medicalcheck-up at the beginning of this year.
“My lung washing liquid looks dark and scary,” hesaid.
According to Le Quang Chung, deputy director of thehospital, the Coal and Mineral Hospital has so far washed out the lungs of morethan 2,000 people with silicosis, most of whom are workers in the coal andmineral mining sector.
“Silicosis-infected patients cannot recover perfectlyfrom the infection as the result of pulmonary fibrosis. Without propertreatment, the disease might result in complications which reduce patients’lifespan,” Chung said.
Exhausted with burdensome work as a bricklayer for aconstruction company under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dinh Thi Hoa,54, living in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung district, asked for work leave in 1994.
After 19 years working under unusual weatherconditions, pollution and constant changes of work locations, she suffers fromrespiratory symptoms, permanent muscle and bone pain, and sometimes high-bloodpressure.
Most workers at the company quit their jobs at the ageof 40 due to declining health, after 20 years of working, Hoang Thi Duong, acompany worker, living in Hai Ba Trung district’s Quynh Mai ward, said.
They are just a few among the workers catchingdiseases while working in risk-exposed environments. However, not many of themhave ever heard of this referred to as “occupational disease”.
According to medical experts, an occupational diseaseis any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupationalactivity.
In Vietnam, mining, construction, mechanics, chemicalsmanufacturing and use are the sectors with the highest number of workerscontracting occupational illnesses, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported.
According to a study by the newspaper, over the pastfive years, 24 percent of workers nationwide asked for sick leave, much higherthan in previous years.
More than 70 percent of miners and constructionworkers have their health status classified as second and third rank (withfirst being the highest).
So far up to 447 workers nationwide are suspected tohave contracted occupational diseases that relate to asbestos, a mineralcommonly used in construction, mining and industrial sectors, and is theleading “culprit” of silicosis and various cancers.
Experts predict that asbestos-related ailments will beon the rise over the coming decades as its incubation period lasts for up to 30years. So symptoms might not develop until workers have retired.
According to the Labour Code, employers must ensurethat the working environment meets standards on space, air, light and otherhazardous and toxic elements. These factors need to be monitored regularly.
Nguyen Van Son, deputy head of the Institute ofOccupational and Environmental Health said that a lot of firms disregard thework environment, conditions and health protection measures for workers.
According to the Health Environment ManagementDepartment under the Health Ministry, only 5 to 10 percent of registeredbusinesses conduct work environment assessments. The assessments found thatfactors related to dust, noise, toxic substances, vibration, and radioactivityfar exceed safe criteria.
Luong Mai Anh, deputy head of the department, saidless than 10 percent of workers nationwide who have health insurance areoffered occupational disease check-ups by their employers.
In fact, tens of thousands of Vietnamese workers haveto ask for “early retirement” due to illness, without knowing that they havecontracted occupational disease or enjoying health insurance benefits.
She said that nearly 29,000 workers across the countryhave had their health assessed and receive occupational disease pay.
“In fact, the actual number of employees who havesuffered from occupational diseases could be 10 times higher than the reportedfigures because of the ignorance of health check-ups by many businesses,” shesaid.
Until 2015, Vietnam has recognised 34 occupationaldiseases. According to regulations, health insurance is only paid for workersdiagnosed to have contracted the listed diseases. However, over the years, manynew work-related illnesses have appeared, leading to the fact that many workerswho contract ailments “obviously” caused by their jobs fail to receive anyinsurance.
A study by the National Institute for Science,Technology and Labour Protection under the Vietnam General Confederation ofLabour (VGCL) showed that female labourers working at frozen seafood processingfactories get varicose veins in their calves, as a result of standing forprolonged periods. Musculoskeletal disorders amongst shoe-makers and diseasesfollowing exposure to toxic liquid are also common among workers but they havenot been added to the list.
Associate Professor Nguyen An Luong, VGCL former vicepresident and incumbent president of Vietnam Occupational Safety and HealthAssociation, said “The slow amendments to the occupational diseases list meansthat workers suffer from the loss of benefits in terms of insurance.”
“Compared to a list of 105 occupational diseases thathas been adopted by the International Labour Organisation since 2010, thenumber of 34 diseases recognised in Vietnam is too humble,” he said.
Meanwhile, diagnosis, supervision and treatment ofoccupational diseases in Vietnam lack both equipment and human resources,Doctor Nguyen Van Son, deputy head of the Institute of Occupational andEnvironmental Health, said.
There are only 63 departments and 53 clinicsnationwide with over 300 doctors specialsing in treating occupational diseases.
Occupational diseases departments of central-levelhospitals such as Hospital E, and Thanh Nhan Hospital in Hanoi are no longeroperational.
Nhan Dan newspaper reported that until now, Vietnam hasnot had a national data system on occupational diseases.
According to Associate Professor Nguyen An Luong,occupational diseases place a burden on families and society but they can beavoided.
“Building a preventive strategy is the key to solvingthe problem. The strategy must focus on ensuring safety at the workplace,studying and adding a list of occupational diseases covered with healthinsurance,” he said.
Le Huu Nghi, deputy director of the ConstructionHospital agreed with the solution, saying that a national strategy to protectworkers’ health would preserve invaluable “resources” of society.-VNA
His lungs were found to be covered with silica after17 years working underground as a coal miner in the northern province of QuangNinh. He did not know he contracted silicosis until he underwent a medicalcheck-up at the beginning of this year.
“My lung washing liquid looks dark and scary,” hesaid.
According to Le Quang Chung, deputy director of thehospital, the Coal and Mineral Hospital has so far washed out the lungs of morethan 2,000 people with silicosis, most of whom are workers in the coal andmineral mining sector.
“Silicosis-infected patients cannot recover perfectlyfrom the infection as the result of pulmonary fibrosis. Without propertreatment, the disease might result in complications which reduce patients’lifespan,” Chung said.
Exhausted with burdensome work as a bricklayer for aconstruction company under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Dinh Thi Hoa,54, living in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung district, asked for work leave in 1994.
After 19 years working under unusual weatherconditions, pollution and constant changes of work locations, she suffers fromrespiratory symptoms, permanent muscle and bone pain, and sometimes high-bloodpressure.
Most workers at the company quit their jobs at the ageof 40 due to declining health, after 20 years of working, Hoang Thi Duong, acompany worker, living in Hai Ba Trung district’s Quynh Mai ward, said.
They are just a few among the workers catchingdiseases while working in risk-exposed environments. However, not many of themhave ever heard of this referred to as “occupational disease”.
According to medical experts, an occupational diseaseis any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupationalactivity.
In Vietnam, mining, construction, mechanics, chemicalsmanufacturing and use are the sectors with the highest number of workerscontracting occupational illnesses, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported.
According to a study by the newspaper, over the pastfive years, 24 percent of workers nationwide asked for sick leave, much higherthan in previous years.
More than 70 percent of miners and constructionworkers have their health status classified as second and third rank (withfirst being the highest).
So far up to 447 workers nationwide are suspected tohave contracted occupational diseases that relate to asbestos, a mineralcommonly used in construction, mining and industrial sectors, and is theleading “culprit” of silicosis and various cancers.
Experts predict that asbestos-related ailments will beon the rise over the coming decades as its incubation period lasts for up to 30years. So symptoms might not develop until workers have retired.
According to the Labour Code, employers must ensurethat the working environment meets standards on space, air, light and otherhazardous and toxic elements. These factors need to be monitored regularly.
Nguyen Van Son, deputy head of the Institute ofOccupational and Environmental Health said that a lot of firms disregard thework environment, conditions and health protection measures for workers.
According to the Health Environment ManagementDepartment under the Health Ministry, only 5 to 10 percent of registeredbusinesses conduct work environment assessments. The assessments found thatfactors related to dust, noise, toxic substances, vibration, and radioactivityfar exceed safe criteria.
Luong Mai Anh, deputy head of the department, saidless than 10 percent of workers nationwide who have health insurance areoffered occupational disease check-ups by their employers.
In fact, tens of thousands of Vietnamese workers haveto ask for “early retirement” due to illness, without knowing that they havecontracted occupational disease or enjoying health insurance benefits.
She said that nearly 29,000 workers across the countryhave had their health assessed and receive occupational disease pay.
“In fact, the actual number of employees who havesuffered from occupational diseases could be 10 times higher than the reportedfigures because of the ignorance of health check-ups by many businesses,” shesaid.
Until 2015, Vietnam has recognised 34 occupationaldiseases. According to regulations, health insurance is only paid for workersdiagnosed to have contracted the listed diseases. However, over the years, manynew work-related illnesses have appeared, leading to the fact that many workerswho contract ailments “obviously” caused by their jobs fail to receive anyinsurance.
A study by the National Institute for Science,Technology and Labour Protection under the Vietnam General Confederation ofLabour (VGCL) showed that female labourers working at frozen seafood processingfactories get varicose veins in their calves, as a result of standing forprolonged periods. Musculoskeletal disorders amongst shoe-makers and diseasesfollowing exposure to toxic liquid are also common among workers but they havenot been added to the list.
Associate Professor Nguyen An Luong, VGCL former vicepresident and incumbent president of Vietnam Occupational Safety and HealthAssociation, said “The slow amendments to the occupational diseases list meansthat workers suffer from the loss of benefits in terms of insurance.”
“Compared to a list of 105 occupational diseases thathas been adopted by the International Labour Organisation since 2010, thenumber of 34 diseases recognised in Vietnam is too humble,” he said.
Meanwhile, diagnosis, supervision and treatment ofoccupational diseases in Vietnam lack both equipment and human resources,Doctor Nguyen Van Son, deputy head of the Institute of Occupational andEnvironmental Health, said.
There are only 63 departments and 53 clinicsnationwide with over 300 doctors specialsing in treating occupational diseases.
Occupational diseases departments of central-levelhospitals such as Hospital E, and Thanh Nhan Hospital in Hanoi are no longeroperational.
Nhan Dan newspaper reported that until now, Vietnam hasnot had a national data system on occupational diseases.
According to Associate Professor Nguyen An Luong,occupational diseases place a burden on families and society but they can beavoided.
“Building a preventive strategy is the key to solvingthe problem. The strategy must focus on ensuring safety at the workplace,studying and adding a list of occupational diseases covered with healthinsurance,” he said.
Le Huu Nghi, deputy director of the ConstructionHospital agreed with the solution, saying that a national strategy to protectworkers’ health would preserve invaluable “resources” of society.-VNA
VNA
