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Social Headlines January 16
WB
supports
The
State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and the World Bank (WB) on January 14 signed a
US$ 250 million credit to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the
road asset management and maintenance practices in
The
funding, to support the Vietnam Road Asset Management (VRAMP), will come from
the International Development Association, the WB Group’s funding resource
for low income country.
“The
road sector has significantly contributed to Vietnam’s recent rapid
socioeconomic development by providing basic access for communities to
markets, education, and health facilities, connecting provinces to national
centers and reducing the cost of moving people and goods across the country,”
said Victoria Kwakwa, the World Bank Country Director for Vietnam.
The
project that WB is supporting will further contribute to the improvement and
maintenance of the existing road network to maintain
The
Australian Government will also provide AUD1.7 million to this project
through a Trust Fund, managed by the WB, to the development and
implementation of a comprehensive Road Asset Management System.
“
Apart
from the Road Asset Management System, the project will help advance the
reform agenda with increased usage of performance-based contracts and support
the performance of the Road Maintenance Fund. It is anticipated that
successful implementation of the VRAMP will lead to a more effective road
preservation strategy, a more optimal road asset management, and the
efficient programming of road network operations.
The
project will directly benefit road users in 13
Danish
Ambassador honoured with insignia
Danish
Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen has been presented an insignia in
recognition of his contributions to
The
insignia was given by Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh in
With
the assistance of the Danish Embassy through a business sector programme, the
Central Institute for Economic Management under the Ministry of Planning and
Investment has improved its capacity in conducting high quality research,
thus putting forth important policy orientation analyses.
At the
ceremony, Minister Vinh also presented insignia to Professor Finn Tarp,
Director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development
Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
Prof.
Tarp, who is also a lecturer at the
American
veteran returns war momento
American
war veteran John Wast on January 14 returned a hat belonging to Bui Duc Hung,
a Vietnamese soldier who died in the struggle against the
Wast
said he picked up the hat while patrolling a Vietnamese battlefield and
crammed it into his backpack. Five months later, he took it home as a
war momento and displayed it on a bookshelf for the past 46 years.
Through
the Development of Vietnam Endeavours Fund, a charity organisation, Wast
found the owner of the hat and decided to take a return trip to
Wast
and three other American war veterans handed over the hat to Hung’s family at
a ceremony in Duong Non commune on January 14.
Hung’s
family was very grateful and said that they will keep it as priceless gift
and a tribute to Hung’s sacrifice.
Artist
rewarded for sketches of kidnapper for police
The
Department of Health in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14 rewarded artist Phan
Vu Linh, lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, VND5
million for helping police identify the kidnapper of a newborn baby in the
General Hospital of District 7.
Linh
sketched a caricature of the kidnapper after listening to descriptions by
several witnesses. This sketch played a major role in helping police track
down the suspect.
Linh
was introduced to District 7’s police by an acquaintance. His sketch of the
kidnapper is said to be 90 percent alike.
Fearing
that her husband would leave her after a miscarriage, the suspect Le Thi Bich
Tram, 25, kept pretending to be pregnant. After scouting many hospitals, she
took a baby at General Hospital of District 7 because of its poor security.
On
January 9, she kidnapped the newborn son of Nguyen Thi Minh Tam and Truong
Van Hen while the mother went out to get milk and the father went home. Four
days later, authorities took her into custody.
Three
Vietnamese drug traffickers get death sentences
Three Vietnamese have
been sentenced to death for their participation in a trans-national drug
trafficking ring from
The
People’s Court of Hoa Binh province on January 14 handed down the sentences
to Do Anh Dung (born in 1976) from Dong Bang, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh
province, Ha Van Quan (born in 1983) from Mai Chau town and Bui Van Thuong
(born in 1984) from Chieng Yen, Moc Chau district, Son La province.
According
to the indictment, the three defendants joined the ring to have trafficked
720 cakes of heroin from Son La to
Every
month the ring was said to make one or two trips, carrying 15 to 30 cakes of
heroin.
The
police arrested two and issued arrest warrants on four other accomplices of
the ring.
Illegal
gold mining still a headache in Phuoc Son District
Three
miners from northern
Illegal
gold mining continues to be a problem in central
"We
have set up a patrol team of police and forest rangers for clearing illegal
gold mines from the district. Two-thirds of illegal gold mines have been
found since regular patrols began last year. However, some illegal mining
still occurs in isolated jungle areas," said Hoang Hoa, chief of the
secretariat of the district people's committee.
Illegal
miners from other provinces flocked to the jungles to dig for gold, creating
headaches for local authorities concerning security and environment
pollution, according to Hoa.
Referring
to the recent deaths, he said those miners had been part of a group of 10
that started digging three days after a patrol had checked the area. Police
have been searching for their remains since Friday.
"It's
still a challenge for us. We have raised many forces to clear illegal mines
in recent years, but the situation is worse in remote areas," said
Nguyen Vien, director of the provincial department of natural resources and
environment.
"It's
easier for hundreds of local people to mine for gold than for us to deploy
forces across a large area of jungle and mountains."
Last
year, hundreds of miners from Phuoc Son Gold Company under Besra Gold, a
Canadian-Australian joint-venture corporation, were unemployed when the
company's Bong Mieu plant closed.
The
company owed approximately US$19 million to contractors, the bank and the government.
Authorities
seize 300 kilos of candied fruit
Officials
in the Central Highland City of Da Lat confiscated a large quantity of
sugared fruits on Monday when the owner could not prove the origins of the
fruit.
Police
and market watch workers investigated a house belonging to a resident, where
they discovered over 330 kilos of sugared fruits packaged in bags or boxes
with Chinese trademarks.
However,
the owner was unable to produce receipts indicating the origins of the goods.
The fruits were expected to be destroyed, unless accompanied by legal
documents.
4,700
fake Ajinomoto packages seized
A
local market watch team seized 4,700 packages of fake Ajinomoto or monosodium
glutamate yesterday, from a local resident's warehouse in southern
Nguyen
Thi Ly, the owner of the warehouse, admitted that she had bought the
packages, worth about VND 3.7 million (US$174), from a person in HCM City's
Lon Market three months ago.
Ly was
fined VND15 million ($705) for trading in fake products.
State
to cut funds for cancer drugs
The
national Health Insurance Fund may decrease reimbursements for certain
prescription drugs if a Health Ministry draft circular goes into effect.
Instead
of being provided with these drugs for free, patients would pay up to 50 per
cent of the retail price.
Patients
will pay over VND20 million (US$950) and VND18 million ($857) per month for
Erlotinib and Gefitinib, drugs used to treat lung cancer. Sorafenib, a type
of medicine to treat cell cancer, will cost nearly VND60 million (nearly
$3,000) per month without the State subsidy.
Subsidies
will also be reduced to 70 per cent for Peginterferon, a powerful antiviral
drug treatment for chronic hepatitis B and C.
Tran
Thi Den, a 53-year-old resident of northern
"I
now have to pay over VND10 million ($480) for one stage of treatment. If the
subsidy is cut, I would rather die of cancer than force my family to face
financial difficulties," said Den, who gets a pension of around VND3
million ($150) per month.
Director
of the Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health Tong Thi Song
Huong said that the State cut subsidies for only "newly used"
drugs. There were still 57 types of drugs for cancer treatment subsidised
fully by the State.
A
representative from the Viet Nam Social Insurance Agency said that cancer
treatment drugs accounted for a large percentage of insurance expenses. The
fund paid a total of VND48 trillion ($2 billion) last year, 71 per cent more
than in 2012.
Poor
families receive Tet gifts
The
Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) will present 1 million gifts worth VND300,000 each to
poor families in the lead up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
The
VRC has received nearly 1.2 million gifts from domestic and foreign
benefactors designated for disadvantaged families and Agent Orange victims
during the upcoming Tet holiday.
About
one-third to half of poor families across the country are expected to receive
Tet gifts this year, according to the VRC.
***
Nearly 39,400 pupils at 227 schools in the northern mountain
Dien
Bien has also mobilised more than 10,000 gifts worth VND500 million for poor
workers during the country’s largest and longest festival.
On the
occasion, the provincial Labour Federation handed over 6 houses, more than
500 blankets and clothes to disadvantaged workers.
Court
sector deals with nearly 400,000 cases in 2013
The
court sector managed to complete 364,819 out of the total 395,415 cases the
national court system received in 2013, a Supreme People’s Court conference
heard on January 14.
Addressing
the conference, President Truong Tan Sang commended the sector for the
workload it had completed despite limited human resources, noting that the
number of cases has been increasing by an average of 10%-15% each year. The
sector has also reduced the number of overdue cases by half, at the same time
creating remarkable improvements in the guidance of law implementation.
The
President said that with the revised Constitution taking effect from January
1, the court sector has the task of concretising the stipulations of the
revised Constitution relating to judicial rights. The sector must also
conduct systematic and comprehensive research on the jurisdiction of courts
and judging councils.
He
also asked the Supreme People’s Court to continue strengthening its staff in
terms of both professional and ethical qualifications.
In
mapping out tasks for 2014, the conference agreed to prioritise implementing
judicial reform in line with the Party and National Assembly’s resolutions.
Simultaneously, the sector will carry on with reforms of court procedures in
the direction of ensuring democracy, transparency and publicity in accordance
with the law.
At the
same time, courts at all levels will focus on handling major cases,
particularly those involving corruption, while promoting their reconciliation
role in civil disputes and encouraging dialogue in administrative cases.
100
bln VND raised for charity through humanity portal
Almost
100 billion VND (about 4.7 million USD) was raised for charitable activities
in
The
news was released at the Ministry’s get-together in
The
event was also to honour active charitable organisations in partnership with
the portal in humanitarian campaigns.
Speaking
at the ceremony, President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland
Front Nguyen Thien Nhan urged the portal to continue bettering its management
and working closely with telecom firms in people-centred charitable
campaigns.
He
also called on Vietnamese citizens and international friends to give support
to the portal to timely provide relief for disadvantaged people.
According
to Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son, the portal
received nearly 10 million messages from over 40 SMS campaigns launched,
generating nearly 100 billion VND for humanitarian activities over the past
five years.
Through
the portal, assistance from many social organisations, ministries, sectors and
individuals and rice were distributed to needy people across the country.
Gifts and scholarships were provided for poor students and many child
patients with congenital heart disease were operated free of charge.-V
Chairman
of the
Local
authorities are also required to accelerate the process of granting land-use
right certificates to eligible users as well as seriously implement planning
schemes on building the capital, using land, and developing agriculture,
among others.
The
city has recorded positive progress in the field over the past time,
according to the municipal People’s Committee.
Among
nearly 19,300 plots of land being used by groups or organisations, it has
certified nearly 8,100 plots, accounting for 42 percent of the total land
plots.
In the
past year alone, 1,200 land-use right certificates were granted to eligible
organisations.
In
addition, it will examine 144,000 ha for which prospective land users were
denied certificates because of insufficient documents.
‘Family
doctor' model ensures comprehensive care
Once
every three weeks, Tran Van An, a 65-year-old man with type 2 diabetes, sees
a "family doctor" at the District 10 Hospital in HCM City.
The
regular visits to the doctor for more than a year has helped him effectively
manage his chronic medical problems.
"The
doctor keeps my health records and makes routine health checks," An, who
lives in ward 15 in District 11, said.
"I
have been able to prevent serious diabetes complications because of regular
health checks and following the doctor's instructions."
With a
prior appointment, it takes him just half an hour at most to complete his
regular health check at the family medical clinic, he said, adding that he
has to wait for two to three hours at other places.
The
"family doctor" model requires the physicians to regularly inquire
patients about work, lifestyle, and family health history to decide on the
course of treatment, resulting in a close doctor-patient relationship, Dr
Nguyen Thanh Binh of the family medical clinic said.
The
doctors spend an average of 10 minutes on each patient and carefully track
their health records, he said.
"Patients
can call me for advice.
"Family
medicine provides a healthcare model that is fully patient-centred, allowing
patients to choose a doctor they feel satisfied with and shortening the
waiting time for check-ups."
The
clinic has 25 doctors treating 300-350 patients every day, Le Thanh Tung,
deputy director of the hospital, said.
The
clinic, set up at the hospital in October last year, manages more than 11,200
health records, he said.
It
provides great satisfaction to patients due to the quality of healthcare and
by saving them time and money, he said.
Patients
with health insurance cards get all the normal benefits despite the
personalised service, he added.
If
patients require another specialist or to be hospitalised for treatment,
family doctors guide their patients as well as update information about the
treatment in patients' health records.
The
doctors help patients both with acute illnesses and chronic medical problems
like diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and asthma, Tung said.
An
said: "I like the model because my chronic medical conditions are better
managed by a single doctor with my health records being regularly updated.
"Besides
health check and treatment, the doctor is willing to advise me about healthy
eating, appropriate physical activities, and good habits to reduce the risk
of serious complications.
"My
wife and son also bought health insurance at the clinic due to its good
quality of service as well as convenience for insured patients."
Nguyen
Thanh Hiep, head of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine's family medicine
department, said a family doctor is the first person people turn to for
treating medical conditions.
"Family
doctors take care of the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of both
patients and their families," he said.
"They
are trained to take care of most health care needs and provide comprehensive
care through all the stages of a patient's life.
"Family
doctors play an essential role in the health care system, providing routine
health screening, preventive care, and counselling on lifestyle changes to
patients."
The
university has worked with the city's Department of Health to provide
training to the family doctors, he said.
District
10 Hospital is one of four in the city to adopt the model, the others being Go
Vap District Hospital,
Nguyen
Ngoc Duy, head of the Department of Health's planning division, said all
district-level hospitals and community primary care clinics in wards and
communes would adopt the model by 2015.
At
least 30 private healthcare clinics would also have family doctors by 2015
under the 2013-20 national plan on development of family doctor clinics, he
said.
By
2020 all general hospitals and private clinics in the city would be in the
programme, he said.
The
city is focusing on training human resources for the programme and developing
a system for maintaining health records electronically, he said.
"Family
medicine model is one of the fundamental measures to improve community
healthcare and reduce patient overload at major hospitals in the city,"
he added.
VN
strives for health-related MDGs
The
Government has issued a resolution to speed up the realization of the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on healthcare in
The
country is doing her utmost to achieve the remaining MDGs in 2015.
Ministries
and localities are asked to raise their sense of awareness of realizing the
MDGs.
MDGs
should be incorporated in local socio-economic development plans especially
in mountainous and difficult provinces and ethnic minority areas.
Under
the Resolution, central and local budgets would be prioritized for the MDGs
on mother and child mortality as well as HIV/AIDS prevention which
Ministries
and localities are asked to raise financial funds for the prevention of
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
In
addition, technical measures would be effectively implemented such as the
“Milk for schools” program in favor of child malnutrition in poor and
difficult regions or areas frequently ravaged by natural disasters or the
model with “child-safe home, child-safe school and child-safe community.”
In the
1990-2015 period, Viet Nam has committed to fulfilling the MDGs on health
relating to halving child malnutrition rate; cutting under five years old
mortality rate by two-thirds; lessening mother mortality ratio by
three-fourths; achieving universal access to reproductive health; preventing
and driving back HIV/AIDS infection by 2015; providing universal access to
treatment for HIV/AIDS for all victims by 2010; stopping and controlling
malaria and other diseases by 2015; and lowering the rate of people who do
not access to safe water and basic sanitation conditions by half.
USAID
announces Development Cooperation Strategy for VN
The
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on January 14 in
Ha Noi announced its Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) for
The
CDCS defined USAIDS’s development assistance program in
In the
coming time, the program would help improve policy making, environment,
institution and public management and strengthen supervision, management and
accountability mechanism of the Government.
In
addition, the CDCS would support capacity building on the Trans-Pacific
Partnership Agreement and enhance the participation of disadvantageous groups
of people like women, ethnic minorities and vulnerable people in
socio-economic life.
The
US$ 42 million program will be implemented by a
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGGP/VGP
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Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 1, 2014
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