Reduced 16% of drowning mortality rates in localities implemented
Sharing about the field evaluation period in 2017-2018, Ms. Doan Thi Thu Huyen, National Director of the Campaign for Non-Smoking Children in Vietnam, said that at that time, the drowning rate per 100,000 children aged 0-15 in some localities was much higher than the Vietnamese average and much higher than the world.
The fact that 21-22 children die from drowning out of 100,000 children is very terrible. Therefore, the results of the project are very encouraging. In 7 years, more than 400,000 children aged 6-15 have been taught safe swimming and more than 52,000 children in this age group have been trained in water environmental safety skills at school. The program has reached a large scale and far exceeds initial support," Ms. Huyen shared.
The child drowning prevention program in Vietnam has achieved remarkable results, contributing to a 16% reduction in the mortality rate from drowning in localities where it is implemented.
Each death from drowning is an unacceptable loss. Anyone can drown - but no one should die for a preventable cause" - Ms. Huyen said.
Sharing about the effectiveness of the school drowning prevention program, teacher Nguyen Quang Tuan (physical teacher at Thu Lam Primary School, Thu Lam commune, Hanoi) said: "Students are taught free swimming, equipped with lifebuoys, swimming goggles. Local authorities also get involved to support swimming pools to have free swimming learning areas for them. Teachers are trained by specialized lecturers, so that they can effectively implement the program.
About 92% of students participating in the program have been equipped with drowning prevention skills. We hope that free swimming classes will continue to be maintained, expanded, and implemented regularly so that more students are equipped with drowning prevention skills.
Nguyen Cong Duc Hien (student of class 5C - Thu Lam Elementary School) said: "After attending the free swimming class organized at school, I have learned to swim with frogs, brace, backstroke and butterfly, I feel more confident when coming to river and lake areas, knowing how to keep myself and those around me safe. I am also taught drowning prevention skills such as wearing life jackets when going to deep water areas, reminding young children...".
Promoting the implementation of a safe swimming teaching program
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc at the project result handover conference, co-organized by the Ministry of Health on March 11, said that child drowning is one of the main causes of child mortality in our country.
According to statistics, about 1,800 children die from drowning each year, many times higher than some countries in the region. Notably, most deaths occur in rural areas and riverine areas. Here, children are exposed to a lot of water environments such as ponds, lakes, canals, rivers and streams, but lack safety knowledge and skills.
The 2018-2025 children's drowning prevention project has implemented many important interventions in localities. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children have learned safe swimming and survival skills in the water environment; thousands of safe swimming teachers and instructors have been trained...
“A very important point of the project is that it has helped prove the effectiveness and economics of interventions to prevent and combat drowning for children in Vietnam, thereby creating a scientific basis for building and perfecting policies in the coming time.
In the period 2026-2030, drowning prevention for children needs to be drastically implemented from central to local levels," Deputy Minister Thuc emphasized.
The Deputy Minister requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to pay attention to, allocate funds, and direct the Department of Health and departments, branches, agencies, and related organizations to promote the implementation of safe swimming teaching programs and safety skills in the water environment for children.
At the same time, strengthen communication in appropriate forms in preventing child drowning...
With about 300,000 deaths from drowning each year globally, more than 90% occurring in low and middle-income countries, Dr. Angela Pratt, Chief Representative of the World Health Organization in Vietnam, said that Vietnam's experience is becoming an important reference lesson.
There is clear evidence in the world of effective interventions in drowning prevention and control and Vietnam has succeeded in applying interventions appropriate to the domestic context," said Dr. Angela Pratt.
