Social News 27/12
Sleeper bus collides with container truck, injures 6
Some six passengers were injured when their sleeper bus
collided with a container truck early today on the My Phuoc – Tan Van
Expressway in the southern
The accident occurred while the sleeper bus, carrying 19
passengers, was travelling from
The cause of the accident, which left the bus in a wrecked
state, remains unknown. The injured were treated at the
Local police are investigating the case.
Unions prepare Tet support for workers
Trade unions in southern localities will support workers with
gifts and bus tickets during Tet, which falls in the middle of February this
year.
In
The union also organised a number of art performances, and
proposed that the Binh Duong People's Committee give 6,000 gifts to
low-income workers, said Nguyen Thien Phuoc, vice chairman of the federation.
Meanwhile,
Huynh Cong Khanh, chairman of the Trade Union for export
processing zones and industrial parks in
No increment in 2015 Tet bonus
The average Tet bonus for labourers will likely stay the same
as last year, said Pham Minh Huan, the Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids
and Social Affairs.
"In general, enterprises still have financial problems
this year," he said. "Based on reports from localities, many have
only managed to maintain the bonus from last year."
Last year, labourers' Tet bonuses increased by 20 per cent to
VND4.4 million (US$206) per person. A FDI enterprise in
In 2012, bonuses grew by 10.8 per cent, to VND2.8 million
(US$131) per person.
Although Tet bonuses would not be rising, many enterprises
have made other purchases for their employees, such as building accommodation
or insurance.
The ministry is still in the process of collecting reports on
Tet bonuses from localities. It will release its final report in January.
Ministries step up efforts to get overloaded trucks off the
roads
Overloaded trucks will no longer be a public concern next
year, Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang said in a conference on Wednesday
in Ha Noi.
"There's no such nonsense as certain people's interests
getting in the way. We can do it. We have accomplished many tasks that were
even more challenging," said Thang.
Weighbridges across the country have checked over 416,000
trucks since last December, of which 64,885 were fined VND331 billion (US$1.5
million) for weight violations.
The authority also temporarily banned 1,885 truck-type
vehicles from traffic and 42,066 drivers had their licenses taken away,
according to a joint report by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the
Ministry of Public Security, which organised the conference.
President of the Viet Nam Automobile Transportation
Association Nguyen Van Thanh said transportation companies appreciated the
stepped-up effort from the authorities but hoped for even stricter moves to
stop overloaded trucks.
"It has been a problem we have had to live with for the
last 30 years. We understand it is very difficult to stop," said Thanh.
In certain provinces, truck drivers even made deals with
corrupt officers to avoid weighbridges, Thanh said. He proposed increasing fines
for weight violations and making local authorities responsible for any
overloaded trucks found in their areas of jurisdiction.
Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong, deputy minister of the
Ministry of Public Security, urged police chiefs and other high-ranking
officers to join road patrol forces to set an example and boost morale.
Colonel Nguyen Trong Phuong, deputy director of the Hai Phong
police, said more weighbridges were needed to cover all the traffic-heavy
routes. For example, there was only one weighbridge on National Route 5, so
overloaded trucks were able to use alternative routes to avoid it.
Minister Thang responded that MOT was considering equipping
toll collection points with weighbridges and cameras.
Moreover, overloaded trucks will be ordered to return to their
departure point instead of unloading part of their cargo as dictated in
current regulations.
Fire breaks out at incense workshop
A fire broke out about 9am today at the Thanh Huong incense
workshop, located at 81,
Eyewitnesses at the scene said that they saw smoke coming out
of the second floor of the building and a blaze soon after.
People in the neighbourhood tried to put out the blaze with
fire extinguishers, but were unsuccessful due to the large amount of
inflammable material stored in the workshop, such as paper and incense.
Ten fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, but the blaze
had not been completely extinguished as of 11.25am, reports said.
One firefighter reportedly required medical attention because
of the heavy smoke.
Two ‘rhino horn traffickers' arrested
The Nam Tu Liem District police arrested two suspects for
illegal possession of about 100gm of white rhino horn on Tuesday night in Ha
Noi.
The suspects are a 34-year-old woman of the city's
The two suspects admitted to the police that the 100gm of
white rhino horn was worth VND100 million (US$4,670).
The police also seized other types of unidentified horn from
the suspects' houses.
The police said that the two suspects were linked to a rhino
horn trafficking ring, believed to be operating for four years in the city.
Explosion at petrol station injures four persons
Four customers, including two women, were injured in an
explosion at a petrol station in the
The authorised agencies quickly extinguished a fire caused by
the explosion. However, the blast destroyed the petrol station and damaged a
house behind it.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown. The injured
received treatment at the
The local police are investigating the case.
At the third Green Mekong Forum held on December 25 in
The countries reiterated that the cooperation between public
and private sectors, including the involvement of local authorities, plays a
key role in addressing environmental issues in the region.
The results of the forum will be reported to a United Nations
conference on mitigating the risks of natural disasters in
Health insurance law to expand benefits, coverage
New amendments to the health insurance law will expand
benefits, increase coverage among poor people and encourage more people to
join plans, a senior official has said.
Le Van Kham, Deputy Director of the Department of Health
Insurance, said on December 23 at a conference that the new changes will take
effect at the beginning of next year.
Under the amendments, inpatients registered at province-level
hospitals can get treated at central-level hospitals by paying 60 percent of
their fees, instead of the current 70 percent.
Similarly, those registered at district level hospitals but
wanting to get treatment at provincial facilities will have to pay 40 percent
of their fees instead of the current 50 percent.
Inpatients getting treatment at district-level hospitals after
being registered at commune-level hospitals will continue to pay 30 percent
of the fees.
Poor patients and those belonging to ethnic minority groups in
disadvantaged districts will have 100 percent of their fees covered, instead
of the current 80-95 percent.
From January 1, 2016, health insurance card holders will be
allowed to visit any hospital in communes and districts for examination and
treatment. Those from poor households and minority groups can visit any
hospital in the country.
Under the amended law, the State budget will pay 100 percent
of the treatment expenses for those who've had health insurance for five
consecutive years and whose hospital fees exceed six months of their basic
salaries.
Japan aids Vietnam’s disaster mitigation, primary education
The Japanese government has pledged to grant nearly 700,000
USD in non-refundable aid to
Documents to this effect were signed in
Of the aid, 214,345 USD will come to the project on enhancing
education capacity on natural disaster risk mitigation for schools and the
coastal community in the central province of Quang Nam.
The project’s beneficiaries are six coastal areas, namely Hoi
An and
Through the project,
Meanwhile, over 482,000 USD will be funded to the project on
improving primary education for ethnic minority groups in northern Ha Giang
province and central Quang Binh and Quang Ngai provinces.
Plan
The project will focus on the improvement of education
environment by building classrooms, installing sanitary equipment and
supplying clean water as well as providing textbooks and training courses for
teachers.
A series of workshops will be held to discuss measures to
improve programmes and share teaching methods among teachers while promoting
educational activities in the localities such as reading festival.-
Youth union central committee’s 6th session kicks off
The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee
convened its sixth session in
Addressing the opening ceremony, First Secretary of the
committee Nguyen Dac Vinh said that the two-day session reviews a report on
youth union activities in 2014 and discusses orientations for the following
year.
Outstanding youth union activities and movements in 2014 are
scheduled to be selected during the session.
During the year, youth union organisations at all levels
operated effectively, helping promote youngsters’ pioneering and voluntary
role and creativeness in the cause of nation building and safeguarding.-
Localities told to stay alert for flu viruses, diseases
The Ministry of Health has urged all provinces and cities
nationwide to intensify measures preventing influenza viruses and diseases
amid the approaching Lunar New Year holiday, a move triggered by reports of
avian flu outbreaks in some localities.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD)’s Animal Health Department said influenza virus strain A type H5N1 was
recorded on a flock of poultry in three communes of the Mekong Delta
provinces of Tra Vinh and Vinh Long. Meanwhile, virus A/H5N6 affected quails
in Tinh Ha commune, Son Tinh district, the central
Avian flu virus A/H7N9 has been raging in
Surge in food purchasing power will occur in preparations for
the Lunar New Year holiday, which will fall in late February next year, and
will the trade, transport, and slaughter of unsafe poultry. Additionally,
respiratory and digestive diseases are also likely to mushroom during the
time due to the humid weather, the MARD warned.
The Ministry of Health, therefore, asked localities to pay
special attention to rural and remote areas as well as the localities
affected by influenza viruses in the past.
Local health departments must tighten supervision at
communities and border gates and gear up for flu prevention and patient
treatment.
They were also required to step up food safety inspection and
strictly punish markets, food stores, restaurants, and collective kitchens
which violate relevant regulations.
Project helps raise awareness of Thalassemia in Hoa Binh
A project aiming to reduce the number of Thalassemia sufferers
carried out in the northern mountainous
It was reported at a conference in the locality on December 25
that Hoa Binh is one of the localities having the highest rate of people
carrying the gene that causes this disease. As many as 13,000 students and
3,800 pregnant women in the locality were identified to have the gene during
the project time.
The provincial People’s Committee asked its inferior
authorities and relevant agencies to boost communication works as part of
efforts to reduce the development of Thalassemia in the locality.
Over the last five years, t he pilot project organised a
number of training courses for local medical workers, and research projects
in the field were also implemented. The local community was equipped with
preventive measures against the disease.
In 2015, the project will be further expanded in all districts
and towns. Activities related to communication works, training, screening
test, and prenatal consultancy will be also intensified.
Thalassemia is a form of inherited autosomal recessive blood
disorders characterised by abnormal formation of haemoglobin. It can cause
significant complications, including iron overload, bone deformities and
cardiovascular illness.
Scholarships aid Thai Nguyen’s needy children
Scholarships under the “Together with you to school” programme
were presented to 120 disadvantaged children in the northern mountainous
Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, Chairwoman of the
National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC), granted the scholarships, worth
3 million VND each, to the children.
More than 4 million out of 26.7 million children in
The NFVC’s programme, launched in 2012, granted nearly 7,700
scholarships totaling over 23 billion VND (1.09 million USD) to the target
group in all 63 provinces and cities nationwide. The NFVC has raised over 4
trillion VND (190.47 million USD) from organisations and individuals to
support 28 million needy children over the last 22 years.
Improving workforce’s quality a must for Central Highlands
The
The region, comprising Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong,
and Lam Dong provinces with 45 percent of total population being ethnic
minorities, is forecast to be home to 5.5 million people in 2015 and 6
million in 2020, accounting for 6 percent of the nation’s population. Of
those figures, people of working age will number around 3.6 million next year
and 4 million in 2020.
About 857,000 people are expected to receive training between
2011 and 2020, raising the number of trained labourers to 1.3 million in 2015
and 1.7 million in 2020, making up 41 percent and 50 percent of the
workforce, respectively.
During the period, the region plans to focus on training
personnel for spearhead sectors such as hydropower industry, mining,
agricultural and forestry product processing, and coffee, rubber, cocoa, and
cashew industries. It will also improve local workers’ capacity in
finance-banking and tourism sectors.
To such ends, each province needs to have at least one
vocational college which offers training on two or three vocations meeting
ASEAN criteria and three to five satisfying national standards.
The regional localities are also required to re-organise the
network of vocational training facilities, procure advanced equipment, raise
staff quantity and quality, and devise appropriate policies supporting
trainees.
A report at the conference read that more than 805,950 people
in the Central Highlands secured jobs from 2005 to 2013, mostly the young in
rural areas. Around 37 percent of them were trained workers.
Participants at the event suggested the Government and
ministries amend vocational training policies designed for ethnic minorities,
provide more funding for the work, restructure the vocational training
system, and give support to vocational training facilities and ethnic
minority trainees.
Vice President presents scholarships to poor Bac Ninh students
Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan presented scholarships, each
worth 3 million VND (142 USD, to 110 poor students excelling in studies at a
ceremony in the northern
As part of the “Together with you to school” progammme
launched in 2012, the event was co-hosted by the National Fund for Vietnamese
Children (NFVC) and the provincial People’s Committee.
The programme has come to 61 cities and provinces, benefiting
less-privileged kids with a total sum of over 22 billion VND (1.1 million
USD) since its launch in 2012.
Over 4 million children are in need of help, including 1.5
million orphan, disabled and homeless kids, Deputy Minister of Labour,
Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Hong Lan told the ceremony, adding that the
scholarship programme contributes greatly to helping the disadvantaged
children pursue study.
Over the past years, the NFVC has raised over 4 trillion VND
(190 million USD) and offered help to more than 28 million children.
People with disabilities need better workplaces
If businesses provide people with disabilities with
appropriate facilities to work, they can increase their output, the head of a
small company that hires such people told a recent workshop in
Tran Thi Trung Thuan, Director of Thien Tam Service, Trade and
Manufacture Co.Ltd, told the workshop held by the Disability Research and
Capacity Development (DRD) Centre, that her company, which produces herbal
products like therapeutic herbal pillows and face masks, has three people
with disabilities — a man with Down syndrome and one each with hearing and
sight impairment.
They have passion for their work, she said.
The man with moderate intellectual disability cuts herbs and
threads after stitching pillows, cloth bags, and face masks, and his products
"are of better quality than those made by his non-disabled
colleagues," she said.
The man with the hearing impairment draws beautifully, and she
took advantage of his aesthetic gifts to employ him as an embroiderer, she
said, adding he is now the company's main embroiderer.
However, many businesses do not trust people with
disabilities, and hire few of them, according to a study by the city's
Institute for Development Studies.
A 2010 report from the Department of Labour, Invalids and
Social Affairs said only 6,000 out of 18,000 people with disabilities of
working age have jobs.
Luong Thi Quynh Lan, deputy head of the DRD Centre, said a job
is a vital element in helping people with disabilities integrate easily into
society.
Another reason for the low number of disabled people with jobs
is that they are prevented from working by sympathetic parents, Thuan said.
"They feel pity for their child with disability and even
more pity when they work.
"They do not think that work will be a therapy for their
child. It is the way for them to integrate into society."
The man with Down syndrome, for instance, had to quit his job
twice, she revealed. At home, he was confined to his room to watch television
all day.
"He was upset and constantly shrieked. He remembered his
job and so would cut up books in his room like cutting leaves and
threads."
Pained by his situation when visiting him, she persuaded his
parents to send him to back to work.
Le Huu Thuong, a job consultant at the DRD Centre, said he
once persuaded a company to recruit a person with disability and it agreed,
but the person then told him her parents refused to allow her to work.
Parents of people with disabilities should be aware of the
importance of jobs for their children, he added.
Luu Thi Anh Loan, head of the DRD Centre, said the centre
plans to organise workshops for parents of people with disabilities to
educate them about this issue.
National project helps prevent respiratory diseases
A national project on bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) has been implemented in 30 provinces and cities
across the country in 2014 has helped spread knowledge about the diseases in
the community, it was reported at a conference in Hanoi on December 25.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen, said the project
also significantly contributed to improving diagnosis and treatment of the
diseases at local hospitals, bettering health care for people and easing the
overload for central-level hospitals.
Operated by
COPD is now one of the three leading killers in the world. The
latest statistics show that about 4.2 percent of
In 2015, the project will be expanded to 15 more localities.
Activities related to communication works, training, screening check-up will
be also intensified in the time ahead.
Conference raises understanding of stem cell
Researchers and experts on biotechnology from across the
country gathered in a December 24 conference themed “Stem Cell Day 2014” to
foster understanding of stem cell research and potential applications to
disease and injury treatment.
The event was co-organised in
Chairman of the SSCR – Ho Chi Minh City Truong Dinh Kiet said
while stem cell research has made great strides over recent years,
contributing to curing many fatal diseases, the public know little about its
use.
He noted that
Meanwhile, Dr. Pham Van Phuc from the
Participants also pointed to a lack of quality researchers and
doctors specializing in the field, with the number of specialists involved in
stem cell-related activities at around 300.
In
In 1995, the country conducted the first stem cell transplant
for a 26-year-old patient with blood cancer.
By now, many hospitals have applied the technology in health
treatment, including Hue Central Hospital, National Paediatric Hospital,
Hospital 108 and August 19 Hospital, the Haematology and Blood Transfusion
Hospital, Hospital 115.
Hundreds of stem cell transplants have been carried out
nationwide so far, mostly on patients of blood diseases.
Workshop talks decentralised wastewater treatment
Domestic and foreign experts gathered at a workshop in
They were updated with policies facilitating the use of the
model in the region, and market opportunities for providers of hygiene
services in
They also learnt about the latest regulations on wastewater
management, and decentralised wastewater treatment systems currently in use
in several localities.
Representatives from the United Nations Human Settlements
Programme and the UN Economic and Social Commission for the Asia-Pacific
praised the initiatives that Vietnam put forth at the event, saying that they
will be helpful not only for the design of the country’s own strategy on
waste management but also for other countries in the region.
The event was co-hosted by the Vietnam Association of Conservation
of Nature and Environment and the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment’s General Department of Environment.
Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND
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Thứ Sáu, 26 tháng 12, 2014
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