Diabetes and kidney disease: Which to choose?

(Baonghean.vn) - Public opinion has repeatedly expressed extreme displeasure about bad habits of Vietnamese people such as not queuing, smoking in public places, not wearing helmets, and now "diabetes".

Illustrative image.

Over 17 years ago, when the mandatory helmet rule for motorcycle riders was introduced, there were many who feared it would be difficult to enforce. Now, wearing a helmet has become a habit for the vast majority of people. This is because they understand that it is for their own safety. Will urinating in designated areas also become a reality?

It's a shame that the act of "urinating in public" has to be included in the law. What will other countries think of Vietnamese people? When they see people urinating in public, some turn away, others consider it normal, and foreign tourists find it strange and disgusting.

From February 1st, 2017, according to Article 20 of Decree 155/ND-CP, which regulates administrative penalties in the field of environmental protection, a fine of 1-3 million VND will be imposed for the act of urinating or defecating in unauthorized places in apartment buildings, commercial areas, service areas, or public places.

Public restrooms in many places are often closed. (Illustrative image)

However, while there are currently regulations prohibiting public urination, there are still insufficient public restrooms to meet the basic needs of pedestrians. Ironically, regularly holding in urine is bad for health and can lead to various diseases, while urinating is considered improper and punishable by fine. So what are city residents or tourists supposed to do when public restrooms are virtually nonexistent on all streets and in crowded areas? How can the law be effectively implemented? We offer some suggestions as follows:

The first method still requires a "lesson learned." The heavy fine for urinating in public in Singapore is up to 1,000 SGD (approximately 16 million VND), with repeat offenders facing fines of 2,000-5,000 SGD and hours of community service. In Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), violations are punishable by a fine of 5,000 RM (over 25 million VND), and repeated offenses can even result in imprisonment.

In some countries like the US, Germany, and India, they use super-waterproof paint that can deflect urine back at the perpetrator, and employ "anti-urination tankers." Along with this, there needs to be a specialized force to enforce strict and fair penalties. In Vietnam, however, it remains unclear who is responsible for enforcing penalties for these offenses.

The second approach addresses the urgent needs of the people. Perhaps individuals could be encouraged to open affordable public restroom cleaning services, ensuring hygiene for their own restaurant walls while providing immediate solutions for those in urgent need. This would be truly easy, convenient, clean, and civilized. In the long term, urban planning should include the design and construction of more public restrooms in strategically located areas.

Besides the aforementioned measures, civic education from preschool to high school, along with strong propaganda within agencies, units, and enterprises, is also indispensable. Adding the penalty of requiring violators to perform community service for a specified period to restore the original environmental condition is a good way to deter repeat offenses.

If every citizen, every agency, and every unit takes concrete and serious actions, we will certainly minimize public urination and restore cleanliness and civility to the streets.

Anh Hoa