Agent Orange’s severe sequelae transmitted from generation to generation have caused thousands of victims in Hai Duong province to have been facing many diseases.
Agent Orange victims are facing many diseases. In the photo: Nguyen Trong Quy in Lai Cach district town has to go to hospital twice a month
Though the Vietnamese Party and State have had many attention and support policies, the pain still exists persistently.
Struggle with illness
Nguyen Trong Quy in Ngo hamlet, Lai Cach district town (Cam Giang), in 1965 set off for the Southern battlefield for fighting. After the liberation day, he returned home from military service in 1975 with many pieces of shrapnel still remaining in his body. More sadly, he was exposed to Agent Orange, which was transmitted to his daughter Nguyen Thi Theu, who has already been in her 30s but bedridden and unable to walk.
Recently, heart disease and many other illnesses have relapsed, forcing Quy to go to hospital twice a month. His wife is also facing the wicked lung cancer. Though dragging out a miserable existence, the elderly married couple still has to make every effort day in, day out to take care of their handicapped daughter…
Attention needed
According to the provincial Association for Victims of Agent Orange/ Dioxin, 6,399 resistance war activists infected with the toxic chemical are enjoying allowances in the province. Of them, 4,382 are direct victims and 2,017 are indirect ones. What’s more heart-breaking is that there remain 1,471 households with 2 – 6 victims of the toxic chemical in each, a current huge burden for the families.
Over the past years, Hai Duong province has realized the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with merits, promptly resolved allowance regimes, granted health insurance cards, and implemented centralized and home nursing for thousands of Agent Orange victims, etc.
Nguyen Van Thuy, Chairman of the provincial Association for Victims of Agent Orange/ Dioxin, said Agent Orange victims’ lives are still meeting with a lot of difficulties, especially seriously ill victims and families with many victims, including all the father, mother, children, and grandchildren, who are hardly able to work. Thus, monthly allowances are only enough to cover their daily lives, not the costs of medical care and travelling.
In particular, many patients suffering from such dangerous diseases as lung, stomach, and liver cancers are more unlikely to have long-term treatment. Many people are also facing obstacles but yet to be entitled to the State’s preferential regimes.
The settlement of policies and regimes for Agent Orange victims is the Party and State’s policy of noble and beautiful humane significance, contributing to relieving those who have devoted their bones and blood to the fight for national protection and expressing gratitude to their great contributions.
Functional agencies should pay attention to promptly solving regimes and policies for Agent Orange victims, helping to alleviate their difficulties so that their lives will be equal to or higher than the society’s living standards.
MINH HANH – THANH NGA
Đăng ký: VietNam News
