This competition is being launched in the context of the entire political system vigorously implementing Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo on strengthening the protection, care, and improvement of people's health. The resolution emphasizes the need for breakthroughs in reforming the healthcare system towards a modern, equitable, high-quality, and efficient system. Building a smoke-free hospital environment is one of the practical actions to achieve this goal.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan speaks at the launching ceremony of the 2nd "Smoke-Free Healthcare Facility" competition.

At this launch ceremony, Professor Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, emphasized that, in addition to traditional cigarettes, new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes are also infiltrating daily life, especially among young people, through attractive forms, diverse flavors, and misleading messages. This poses a new risk of nicotine dependence among teenagers and long-term health damage.

According to Dr. Ha Anh Duc, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health), Director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, and co-chairman of the competition's organizing committee, Vietnam currently has a widespread healthcare system with more than 1,700 public hospitals, 424 private hospitals, and tens of thousands of private clinics.

Each year, this system of medical facilities receives an average of nearly 20 million inpatient and outpatient visits. With such a high concentration, maintaining a clean and smoke-free environment is a crucial task for these facilities to reduce the risk of passive smoking exposure for healthcare workers and patients.

Leaders of the Ministry of Health present flowers to the Final Judging Panel of the 2nd "Smoke-Free Healthcare Facility" competition .

Therefore, the 2nd Smoke-Free Healthcare Facility Competition encourages innovative, specific, and practical approaches from hospitals and medical examination and treatment facilities. According to the Organizing Committee, the participants this time are public and private hospitals/institutes with 100 or more beds nationwide.

Online registration is expected to take place from June 1st to June 25th. The final round will be held from September 1st to September 30th. The main requirement for this round is that participating units must produce a video clip, between 5 and 7 minutes long, documenting the situation at their unit and highlighting innovative solutions and lessons learned in maintaining a smoke-free environment.

The Organizing Committee encourages participating units to apply information technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital camera systems to eliminate all "blind spots" of cigarette smoke, transforming hospitals into absolutely clean environments. This year's prize structure includes: 4 First Prizes worth 20 million VND each, 8 Second Prizes worth 15 million VND each, 12 Third Prizes worth 10 million VND each, and 20 Fourth Prizes worth 8 million VND each. The awards ceremony is expected to take place in December in Hanoi.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/y-te/tin-tuc/phat-dong-cuoc-thi-co-so-y-te-khong-khoi-thuoc-la-lan-thu-2-1040289