This was announced at a press conference held in Hai Phong city on September 16 by the Vietnam National Institute of Maritime Medicine (VNIMM).
The institute estimates that Vietnam has around 130,000 fishing boats, including 30,000 offshore boats operating in remote fishing grounds with difficult living conditions.
Under the programme, each offshore fishing boat with seven to 15 crew members is provided with a medical chest worth VND2 million, which contains cardiovascular, antibiotic, digestion, antifebrile, analgesic, bronchiectasis, and antihistamine medicines, among others. Each boat also receives medical devices, such as a mercury thermometer, a stethoscope and some items for first aid.
VNIMM has scheduled training courses for the fishermen in how to use the medical chests and how to handle emergency health situations at sea.
So far, around 1,050 medical chests of this kind have been presented to fishermen in Da Nang city, Binh Dinh, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces as well as those operating in Bach Long Vi fishing ground in Hai Phong city.
