Agent Orange fund needs more to succour sufferers
HA NOI — The Fund for Agent Orange Victims has spent up to VND23 billion (US$1.5 million) to help people across the country, since it was established five years ago, its director Le The Son said last Friday.
"The money has helped improve living conditions for 220,429 agent orange victims. Among them, 91,000 were given free treatment, and 1,350 received plastic surgery and rehabilitation."
Son was speaking at a conference organised by the Viet Nam Red Cross to discuss the consequences of chemical-spraying in Viet Nam during the American War and review the fund’s support for Viet Nam’s 1 million Agent Orange victims.
Son said the fund also provided regular health check-ups to 4,200 victims and wheelchairs to 2,471. It funded compassion houses to provide health care for 1,375 people.
The US Defence Department has estimated that its military sprayed 100 million litres of chemical substances across southern and central Viet Nam during the war.
"A number of war veterans’ children suffer from birth deformities and are living in difficulty," Son said.
He said the fund still needed to mobilise more money to help the millions of people who were directly sprayed.
At its fourth central committee congress held last Thursday, the Viet Nam Red Cross elected the former deputy minister of health, professor Nguyen Van Thuong, as its new president and general secretary. — VNS
