Health Environment Management Group (HEMG)

Date of establishment: 08 April 2011         

Purpose: To provide support to implement the policies on health environment management of Vietnam and to strengthen and maximize the efficiency of financial resources for the field.

Objectives: The HEMG is committed to supporting i) The Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy; ii)The Millennium Development Goals; iii) The National Health Strategy (2011-2020) and Five Year Health Plan (2011-2015); and iv) The Master Plan of Health Environment Management (2011-2015).

Structure: The Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA) is the leading agency for the TWG with about 50 members from relevant Departments/Administrations of MOH, MARD, MPI, MOET, Women Union, international organizations and NGOs (DANIDA, DFAT, DFID, WB, UNICEF, WHO, ADB, Unilever, iDE, PLAN, SNV, EMW, Child Fund, World Vision, WTO…). The funding for the group’s operation is supported by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Partnership (RWSSP) under MARD.

HEMG is divided into sub-working groups under four specific themes:

• Protection of environment of the health facilities;

• Protection of environment in corpse burial and burn activities, environment health;

• Hygiene and occupational health, occupational diseases prevention and accident and injury prevention;

• Control of health impact due to climate change; management of chemicals, disinfectants and insecticide products for domestic and medical use.

Meeting frequency: The TWG has set up quarterly meetings to propose activities, plans, priorities, technical solution to raise the awareness and change the behaviour of personal hygiene and environment sanitation through increasing the coverage of hygiene latrines and clean water. The TWG is under direction of VIHEMA.

Contribution: The sub-group on Hygiene and Occupational health under HEMG is an active forum to share and exchange experience and support relevant parties to implement their tasks on improving sanitation in rural area of Vietnam. Under regular operation, it has contributed to the adoption of documents and policies on sanitation such as the NTP 3 including the component on health sanitation; the Sanitation Promotion Plan 2016 – 2025 with vision to 2030.

Relevant documents:

• HEMG Meeting minutes/ Reports

• HEMG TOR