Vietnam ministry proposes higher food rations, annual health checks for prisoners

The draft, which is expected to take effect on July 1, would raise monthly food standards to 1.5 kg of pork and 1.5 kg of fish per prisoner, up from 1 kg each, and add five eggs per month, a food item not previously included in inmate rations.

The ministry said the current average food allowance of about VND700,000 (US$27) per prisoner per month was too low to meet nutritional requirements and far below allowances for other state-managed groups, such as residents of drug rehabilitation centers.

Under the proposal, prisoners would also be allowed to use their own money to buy additional food up to five times the monthly ration level, compared with the current limit of three times, through detention facility canteens.

The draft decree would reduce the interval for routine health check-ups for prisoners to at least once a year from the current requirement of once every two years and raise spending caps for common medicines and medical supplies to better meet practical healthcare needs.

Additional changes include higher monthly cooking oil allocations, increased annual shampoo allowances, and adjustments to winter clothing provisions, expanding eligibility to inmates held from the central city of Da Nang northwards and in the Central Highlands.

The ministry said the proposed revisions aim to better align prisoner welfare standards with current socio-economic conditions and state budget capacity.