Workers with pneumoconiosis wait wearily for occupational disease diagnosis
(Baonghean.vn) - It has been more than 2 months since the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a document, but the workers who used to work at Chau Tien Company Limited (Nghi Loc) and suffered from pneumoconiosis have not yet been assessed for occupational diseases to receive benefits.
Need to investigate occupational diseases early
In mid-October, Mr. Duong Van Chinh (34 years old, Nghi Dong commune, Nghi Loc) said that up to now, he has not been diagnosed with an occupational disease, while his health is getting worse. Mr. Chinh is one of 14 workers who used to work at Chau Tien Company Limited who suffered from silicosis and lung-related diseases. Of these, 5 people have died.
The latest death was Mr. Tran Ngoc Hoa (45 years old, Nghi Hung commune, Nghi Loc). Mr. Hoa passed away on October 6, after more than a year of fighting pneumoconiosis.
“The health of the remaining people is getting worse. Some are fighting death every day in the hospital. But the identification of occupational diseases is too slow,” Mr. Chinh was upset.
Mr. Chinh started working at Chau Tien Company Limited in 2017. In 2022, when many other colleagues discovered that they had pneumoconiosis, he went to the hospital and found out that he also had the same disease. After a period of treatment at the Central Lung Hospital, Mr. Chinh was allowed to return home for further treatment. During that time, Chau Tien Company Limited visited him and supported him with 500,000 VND. However, only a short time later, Chau Tien Company Limited called to ask if Mr. Chinh would continue working, otherwise he would quit.
I was undergoing medical treatment but when I received this phone call, I felt very upset. Because I thought the company's leaders did not care and had no love or respect for their employees, I decided to quit my job right after that phone call.
Not far from Mr. Chinh's house, Mr. Hoang Van Son (47 years old, Nghi Hung commune) has had to rely on an oxygen tank for many months. Mr. Son was only diagnosed with pneumoconiosis in June 2022, but then his health seriously declined, and just a few months later, he could no longer walk on his own. Since then, his wife had to quit her job at the company and take her husband to many hospitals for treatment, but everywhere the doctors just shook their heads. Because he was too tired and had lost all hope, and there were not many assets left in the house after each hospital visit, for many months now, Mr. Son has refused to go to the hospital anymore, insisting on "dying at home". With no other choice, his wife had to please her husband, traveling 10km every day to buy an oxygen tank to prolong his life.
Although silicosis is an occupational disease, and life is counted every day, it has been more than a year since the diagnosis, but Mr. Son and many other workers have not been taken for occupational disease assessment to receive benefits according to regulations.
Meanwhile, on August 10, 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued a document assigning relevant agencies to organize an investigation into occupational diseases for deceased workers. Determine occupational diseases for workers who are still being treated. Organize an assessment of the level of reduced working capacity immediately after the results of determining occupational diseases for those who are still being treated and examine and determine occupational diseases for workers who have worked and are working at Chau Tien Company Limited at risk of occupational diseases after the company has a written request. The Provincial People's Committee also assigned the People's Committees of districts with workers who have worked and are working at Chau Tien Company Limited to coordinate with the Department of Health; Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs; Provincial Social Insurance; Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Provincial Labor Federation; The Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone and Chau Tien Company Limited guide and support employees/relatives of employees in the process of investigation, determination of occupational diseases, assessment of labor loss levels and implementation of compensation and support policies for employees according to regulations.
In case of death, it is more difficult to investigate occupational diseases.
Discussing this issue, Mr. Le Tuan Anh - Head of the Department of Occupational Diseases (Nghe An Center for Disease Control) said that the unit has coordinated with the interdisciplinary inspection team to comprehensively inspect Chau Tien Company Limited since May 2023. The team worked with the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone, Chau Tien Company Limited and took samples of raw materials (input, output) for analysis. The results were similar to those provided by the company, which was that the free silica content in raw materials and finished products was over 99%.
In this environment, the risk of acute silicosis is very high if the labor protection equipment is not guaranteed or suitable. In fact, many workers at Chau Tien Company Limited have suffered from silicosis. However, it takes time to determine occupational silicosis. Because it is necessary to clearly determine whether the worker is exposed to toxic factors during the labor process or not. Then there are the results of environmental monitoring, to see if the environment has factors that cause occupational diseases. Once the occupational disease has been determined, the Medical Assessment Council will conduct an assessment of the level of reduced working capacity to have a basis to support the worker.
According to the Head of the Department of Occupational Diseases (Nghe An Center for Disease Control), for cases that have died, investigating occupational diseases is very difficult but not impossible. These cases have medical records at hospitals, health insurance as well as records clearly showing the working process in the department, how long they worked in which environment in the company. Currently, Nghe An Center for Disease Control has sent an official dispatch requesting the Department of Health Environment Management (Ministry of Health) to support human resources and techniques to investigate the case at Chau Tien Company Limited and the Department has directed the Central Lung Hospital; Institute of Medical Examination; Institute of Occupational Health and Environment to support CDC to investigate occupational diseases for deceased workers; determine occupational diseases, assess the level of labor loss for workers being treated for silicosis and related lung diseases.
In addition, CDC has also advised Nghe An Department of Health to establish an occupational disease investigation team at Chau Tien Company Limited, trying to work urgently to provide the earliest results, helping workers enjoy the prescribed benefits.
Doctor CKII Thai Dinh Lam - Deputy Director of Nghe An Lung Hospital said that pneumoconiosis is a disease that cannot be completely cured. In particular, the workers working at Chau Tien Company Limited who were hospitalized for treatment were all in a severe stage. Pneumoconiosis in the early stages has very few symptoms. When dry cough and difficulty breathing appear, the disease progresses over a long period of time. Therefore, preventing pneumoconiosis is very important. In addition to the attention of factory leaders, workers working in high-risk environments such as mining, garment, and coal mining need to have safety equipment. Moreover, regular health check-ups are very important to detect the disease. Workers working in this environment should be examined for occupational diseases at specialized hospitals every 6 months. Meanwhile, Chau Tien Company Limited does not organize health check-ups for workers, nor does it monitor the environment.
