VietNamNet Bridge – Maximum amounts of fines for violations related to environmental health and preventive medicine have increased under a new government decree which will take effect later this year.

Deputy head of the Ministry of Health's Legal Department Nguyen Huy Quang said the previous decree acted as an umbrella legal document for health-related violations, but the new rules will be more specific, replacing a number of provisions of the old one.

"The decree provides a more concrete list of violations with an update of new types of violations which have emerged as potential threats to public health in the current context and the new range of fines including the depreciation of the currency since 2005, " Quang told Viet Nam News yesterday, Aug 16.

Under the new law, there will be a five-fold increase to the maximum fine for disposing waste into drinking water, which will rise to VND1 million ($49).

Enterprises who fail to provide pre-employment health checks to workers may incur fines up to VND15 million ($730), ten times higher than the existing fines.

Similarly, health clinics will be fined up to VND25 million ($1,210) if they refuse to treat patients with group A diseases which can spread rapidly and cause high mortality rates, including H5N1, cholera and scarlet fever.

Individuals carrying Group A diseases who failed to report their health status to Government health agencies will be subject to fines of up to VND3 million ($145).

The decree, which will take effect as of October 1st, has for the first time stipulated that fines will be issued to companies who fail to inform workers about HIV/AIDS prevention.

Companies must provide information sessions on HIV/AIDS at least once every two years to avoid fines of between VND500,000 and 25 million ($24 – 1,210), which will be based on the size of offending companies.

The decree will be implemented by inspectors from the health ministry, provincial departments and market watch officials and environmental police.

The change in law reflects a current trend of compiling legal documents that cover specific issues rather than universal decrees covering a number of issues.