They went to Ayun commune, a disadvantaged commune in Mang Yang district and visited health workers at the Ayun commune clinic and staff at the local People's Committee to exchange on the difficulties in healthcare and nutrition for mothers and children in the area.
Phong, who is also a Politburo member, praised the efforts made by Ayun commune, a locality in which ethnic minority people account for more than 62% of the population. Ayun has encountered many difficulties but has achieved considerable results in socio-economic development, with the care and protection of children having received great attention from the local authorities. More than 94% of the local children under 6 years old having been granted health insurance cards is a positive result, she said.
In Ayun, Phong also visited and presented gifts to Prup’s family in Kon Brung village and handed over 20 presents to children in special circumstances.
Later the same day, Phong held a working session with the leaders of Gia Lai province, during which they reported that the care for local children has been promoted in 100% of communes, wards and towns that are implementing programmes on childcare, such as prevention of malnutrition, vaccinations and caring for children with special circumstances. Currently, the vaccination rate for children under 1 year old is at over 97% and the percentage of children under 6 with health insurance cards is 97.8%. The province has also built five facilities for caring for orphans and children with disabilities.
The NA senior official praised Gia Lai for paying attention to the care and comprehensive development of children despite socio-economic difficulties. However, as the province still suffers from a high malnutrition rate, she urged Gia Lai to integrate local socio-economic development programmes with childcare and education projects, while effectively implementing UNICEF’s projects on childcare and attaching importance to improving public awareness on the work, so as to change backward customs among ethnic minorities that restrict child development.
