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Social News 24/4
Health ministry asks doctors to be positive
The Ministry of Health will take measures to improve
healthcare worker's attitude towards patients.
"Many medical staff do not follow professional processes
and have inappropriate or negative attitudes towards patients at
hospitals," said the Minister of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, at an
on-line conference yesterday.
She added that this had badly affected the image of the
country's healthcare workers
"A series of measures should be implemented immediately
to improve medical staff attitudes for the satisfaction of patients,"
said Tien.
Tien said that customer-care units would be established in the
examination departments at hospitals to receive and provide instructions to
patients and their families.
She said an existing hotline system would also continue to
receive and handle people's feedback about quality of examination and
treatment.
The ministry will set up more mailboxes at convenient places
in hospitals to collect people's feedback or complaints, according to the
health minister.
A spokesman for the ministry's Medical Service, Luong Ngoc
Khue, said that hospitals would sign commitments on improving health workers'
attitudes with the health minister or provincial health department directors.
Patients would be also be helped by young doctors and
volunteers through a campaign to be launched by the Young Physician
Association, added Khue.
Health-sector statistics reveal that the ministry ‘s hot line
system received nearly 8,366 calls during the first quarter of this year, of
which only 3,448 calls were considered appropriate.
There were 946 calls relating to complaints about the
degrading medical infrastructure and 929 relating to professional processes
by health workers. About 726 called reported inappropriate attitudes and
behaviour of health workers. The ministry disciplined more than 150 of these
health workers.
There were also 141 calls praising groups or individuals for
their efforts.
Court upholds jail terms for two for selling babies
A
The Supreme People’s Court in
Lan and Thuong told the court that they only acted as brokers
for those who wanted to adopt children, so they pleaded for lighter
penalties.
But the jury of the appeal court did not accept their
argument, affirming the evidence was enough to convict them of “trading in
children” pursuant to Article 120 of the Penal Code.
The case involved three other defendants but they did not
appeal their sentences. They are Nguyen Van Vien, 45, who received a 6-year
sentence; and Tran Ngoc Quy, 45, and Pham Tuan Phuong, 53, who got 12 years
in jail each.
According to these defendants’ testimonies, they sold four
babies in February 2014 for VND90 million (US$4,170 million) in total.
According to the indictment, in October 2013, Vien and a
woman, V.T.K.T., cohabited as husband and wife.
At that time, T. was four months pregnant but she told Vien
that she would not afford to support her future child and that she did not
want her family to know about her pregnancy.
Vien then suggested that T. sell her baby after delivery to
get money, and the woman agreed.
He later got acquainted with Quy through one of his friends
and asked him to seek people who wanted to buy newborns.
On February 14, 2014, T. gave birth to a girl at the Tu Du
Obstetrics Hospital. Quy then contacted Lan and offered to sell the baby for
VND7 million.
On February 27, 2014, T. was discharged from the hospital and
she and Vien took her baby to the area in front of Pediatrics Hospital 1 in
District 10 to sell to Lan later the same day.
While waiting for Lan to come, T. went to a toilet nearby and
changed her mind, not wanting to sell her baby anymore.
However, when T. came back, she found that Lan had come and
Vien had already sold her daughter to the woman.
When the trade was taking place, police officers rushed to the
scene and arrested them.
From the testimonies of Lan and Vien, police nabbed Quy and
then the other two members of the ring – Phuong and Thuong.
Lan and Quy later told investigators that their ring had
successfully carried out three deals of trading in babies from the beginning
of February to their arrest.
With a view to seeking customers, Thuong set up a website at
mamsongviet.com, which nominally acted as a broker in giving and adopting
children but actually specialized in trading in children.
Through this website, a childless woman – Tram – from the
city’s Phu Nhuan District requested Thuong to help her to buy a newborn.
On February 15, the ring sold a baby boy, whose mother gave
him up at the Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital after delivery, to Tram for VND25
million.
The ring then sold a baby girl to Tram for VND23 million. They
also sold another baby to a couple in the southern
More than 300 workers hospitalized after food poisoning
More than 300 workers at a handbag factory in the southern
The workers were said to have displayed symptoms of vomiting,
stomach ache and diarrhoea after eating dinner yesterday at the cafeteria in
the
Simone handbag factory, said the local Food Hygiene and Safety
Department Head, Pham Van Dau.
The sick workers were rushed to the HCM City-based Nha Be
Hospital the next morning for treatment.
Food samples at the cafeteria have been collected and sent to
the HCM City Institute of Hygiene and Public Health to identify the cause for
poisoning.
Grandmother, grandchild crushed to death by train
A grandmother and her grandchild were crushed to death this
morning while passing through a train level crossing in the southern
Tran Thi An, 61, was driving a motorbike, with her grandchild
Tran Do Huy Hoang, 7. An was crushed by a train bound for Sai Gon as she
drove across the level crossing in Tan Hiep District.
The two died on the spot. The level crossing was not equipped
with a barrier and or light signal.
Proposal to upgrade
The Project Management Unit 6 has submitted a BOT
(build-transfer-operate) proposal to upgrade National Route 31, part of Bac
Giang City-Chu Town, with a total investment of VND1,330 billion (US$62.7
million).
The project's return on investment is estimated to be
achievable 20 years after the completion date, with the toll road being the
main source of income. The toll is proposed to be collected at two booths
located at both ends of the route.
Once completed, the 36km-long route -- with a speed limit of
80kmph-- will have two lanes with a total width of 12m.
The project is scheduled to start in July this year, once the
transport ministry approves it.
The proposal highlights the importance of National Route 31
and the need to repair and upgrade the route as it has been constantly
overloaded and degraded in recent years.
The upgrade also aims to meet
More than 1,000 people in Cau Giay have no water
Two high-rise buildings in the Dich Vong Residential Quarter
in Ha Noi's Cau Giay District have spent two weeks without clean water,
affecting the lives of more than 300 households.
The two affected buildings, N09B1 and N09B2, house upwards of
1,200 people who now must resort to extreme measures to make it through the
day, according to news website vnexpress.net.
The residents are among thousands of other Ha Noi residents
who could face water shortages this summer.
Authorities have warned this could happen across the capital
as demand might increase by seven to 10 per cent compared to last summer.
Reduction in groundwater resources could also contribute to
the problem, the Ha Noi Water Supply Company has warned previously.
The Da River Water Supply Plant supplies about 40,000cu.m to
50,000cu.m per day to the city, but its water pipeline often breaks down.
The pipeline broke twice at the start of the year and its
power was cut, affecting the water supply to Dong Da and Cau Giay districts.
Meanwhile, the implementation of projects to increase supplies
from the River Hong (Red) and the River Duong has slowed because of lack of
investment capital and land.
Nguyen Thi Thuy, 54, lives on N09B2's 20th floor, said that
during the past two weeks, her family of three adults and two children had to
eat out since they didn't have any clean water for cooking.
They had to buy water to wash in, but that became so untenable
that they now bathe at their relatives' homes.
"My grand-children, two and four years old, have heat
rash all over their bodies because they could not have regular bathe,"
said Thuy.
Households are forced to buy equipment like buckets and basins
to reserve clean water, but the recent demand has made local vendors take
advantage of the situation, extorting the residents with higher prices.
For instance, Thuy bought a 120-litre bucket last week at
VND190,000 (US$9) but when she went back for another one it was VND220,000
($10).
"We proposed that the building's management board pay for
the extra measures. We received no reply. We know water shortage is a common
problem in summer and we can bear it for a few days, but not weeks," she
said.
Ho Thi Xuan, 67, said that she must decant water in an
underground well every day.
"We don't dare go to the toilet at home since we don't
have water to flush," she said.
Head of the residential group and representative for the two
buildings' residents, Mai The Hong, said that the buildings' management board
met with the Residential Quarter's management board, Tu Liem Urban
Development Joint-stock Company, to discuss solutions.
"The company told us that it was the Cau Giay Water
Plant's fault, but when we meet with the water plant, they said that they had
supplied enough water," said Hong.
Hong reported the case to the Dich Vong Ward People's
Committee, but the committee said they could only urge relevant bodies to
take proper measures, he said.
On April 16, the buildings' management board bought 20 tanks
of water and poured them into two underground wells for the residents to use
gradually.
The water, costing VND21 million ($1,000), come from
contributions by local households.
The buildings' management board must supervise the daily
distribution of the underground well water to make sure everyone gets
something.
To Thanh Tam, a representative of the N09B2 building's
management board, said that water shortages have been happening since just
after Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, but now it has gotten more serious.
The Cau Giay Water Plant said that the amount of water they
supplied for the two buildings was the same as last year. The same amount of
water, however, is not enough since the number of residents increased since
last year.
New test to detect neonatal jaundice
Approximately 3,000 premature, newborn and over-35 week old
babies from 10 major hospitals in northern Vietnam will be screened for
neonatal jaundice with the new Bilistick test.
Neonatal jaundice, known for the yellowish tint it causes in
babies' skin and eyes, is a common medical condition around the globe.
Since the introduction of the Breath of Life (BOL) neonatal
care programme in Vietnam a decade ago, the country's capacity to handle
jaundice has seen major improvements. The programme equipped hospitals with
special phototherapy machines for treatment, and trained clinicians and
nurses to identify and treat newborns.
As BOL expanded in Vietnam, it identified a need to improve
early detection of jaundice in newborns and thereby reduce the risks of
disability or death.
The new Bilistick test, a hand-held reader with test strips
that require only a small drop of blood, will be distributed to 10 hospitals
in the north of Vietnam.
According to Dr. Carlos Daniel Coda Zabetta, BOL's
International Project Coordinator, the new technology will better enable
hospitals and health centres to identify when treatment is required and begin
it as early as possible thus reducing jaundice morbidity and mortality rates.
Lucinao Moccia, International Director of BOL, said the
Bilistick represents a marked improvement over current screening methods and
offers an unprecedented opportunity to tackle the problem of neonatal
jaundice.
"Current screening technologies are expensive and time
consuming. Bilistick has the potential to revolutionise screening methods,
resulting in reduced cost and faster, more accurate identification of
patients in need of phototherapy treatment," said Moccia.
Ha Cong Thanh, Director of the Vietnam-Cuba Dong Hoi
Hospital's Pediatric Department in central Quang Binh province, tells Vietnam
News that the new Bilistick delivers instant, reliable and cost effective
screening for jaundice.
"In the past, a quick jaundice test – in an emergency
case – took two hours. For a normal jaundice case it took several days to get
the result."
Charity golf tournament to support Agent Orange victims
The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/ Dioxin
(VAVA) will open its first charity golf tournament to raise funds for the
over three million victims of the chemical weapon in the country.
The tournament will be convened on May 6 at the Dam Vac (Heron
Lake) golf course in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. The event is
expected to draw the participation of over 100 golfers.
Golfers will be catergorised into four groups, competing under
a System 36 point (day handicap) requirement.
Several awards will be available for players to win, including
‘Hole-in-One’, ‘Nearest to the Pin’, ‘Nearest to the Line’, and ‘Longest
Driver’ prizes.
An auction will be held to raise funds for the Vietnamese
Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims Fund during the event.
Rice aid supplied to northern, central provinces
The Prime Minister has requested the Ministry of Finance
provide nearly 1,300 tonnes of rice to the northern provinces of Tuyen Quang,
Thanh Hoa and the central province of Phu Yen.
The aid provision aims to alleviate hunger during food
shortages between local harvests.
Tuyen Quang province will receive 350 tonnes of rice; Thanh
Hoa 707 tonnes; and Phu Yen 236 tonnes.
This is the second time the provinces have received aid in the
form of rice; the first time the three provinces received 278 tonnes, 1,211
tonnes and 272 tonnes respectively.
Earlier this year similar aid packages were provided to a
number of localities, including Quang Tri, Lao Cai, Nghe An, Tuyen Quang,
Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation brings computer literacy
to disadvantaged
The ‘ Improvement of computer usage and public internet access
ability in Vietnam’ project funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has
yielded positive results in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.
The project, which equipped the provincial library, nine
district libraries and 11 commune libraries with 185 desk computers and 21
printers, helped impoverished communities become acquainted with information
technology.
They enjoyed benefits from computer and internet access,
ultimately contributing to improving their quality of life and building
new-style rural areas.
Tran Thi Thai, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s
Committee, said the project initially helped change local awareness of
computers and internet.
Can Tho: Urban expansion towards sustainability
The Mekong Delta City of Can Tho, one of the hardest hit by
climate change between now and 2050, has been upgrading and expanding its
urban areas in an eco-friendly fashion that adapts to the changing climate.
Since the outset of 2015, the city has worked with
neighbouring localities to assess the impacts of climate change on the region
and adopt suitable solutions, said the provincial Department of Natural
Resources and Environment.
Accordingly, any urban planning activity must take into full
account such factors as landform stability and sea level rise while designing
suitable irrigation systems and waterway traffic together with flood-proof
residential clusters, installing warnings at buildings in flood-prone areas
and preparing for emergencies.
Some 24 culverts, two ports in Tra Noc and Binh Thuy Rivers
and six pumping stations will be constructed while canal systems within the
city will be dredged and upgraded by 2017 to boost the capacity of flood
drainage.
An additional 152 culverts, 29 pumping stations and 614
kilometres of dykes are scheduled to be built beyond 2017.
The Mekong Delta city also works to maintain sufficient water
reserves and minimise floods.
Experts predicted that by 2050, many provinces in the Mekong
Delta, including Can Tho, would be 0.8-1 metres under sea level.
Climate change is forecast to reduce the Mekong River’s flow
by 2-24 percent during dry seasons and increase 7-15 percent during flood
seasons, burdening agricultural production in the region.
Urban rail project to miss deadline
Progress on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Urban Railway Project was
falling behind schedule and may result in the project being delayed beyond
the deadline in March next year.
This information was revealed at a meeting to review progress
on the construction of the project's 12 stations yesterday.
Director-General of the Railway Project Management Unit, Le
Kim Thanh, said little had been done a month after the last meeting earlier
this month.
Contracts between the project's main contractor, the China
Railway Sixth Group, and sub-contractors had already expired and were yet to
be re-signed.
China Railway Sixth Group said that except for La Khe Station,
the costs for the remaining 11 stations were still being negotiated.
The group promised to finish re-signing sub-contractors by the
end of April as well as make overdue payments to sub-contractors. It also
said engineers and machinery were on the way to Viet Nam and the project
would be back on schedule as soon as possible.
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong told the
project management unit to quickly resolve issues, pointing out that many
construction sites did not even have enough workers to function.
"The way things are being handled right now. We won't see
its completion even in 2017," said the deputy minister.
Truong also ordered weekly meetings to be held after the
upcoming holidays, to promptly address problems and improve co-operation
between the parties.
The deputy minister asked the Director General of the China
Railway Sixth Group to come for a meeting with the ministry's leaders for a
discussion before May 15.
He also asked the main contractor to finish signing
sub-contractors before May 1 and disburse at least two-thirds of overdue
payments to sub-contractors before April 30.
Truong urged the project's sub-contractors to resume working
on the project immediately, without waiting for their contracts to be
renewed.
Eighty per cent of women workers are still unskilled
Viet Nam has made progress in eliminating gender inequality,
but serious gaps still exist in the labour market, said Shoko Ishikawa, UN
Women Country Representative.
Ishikawa spoke at a workshop on social protection for women
and girls in Ha Noi yesterday. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social
Affairs found that last year 83.9 per cent of female workers were unskilled,
compared with 79 per cent of male workers.
Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, director general of the Institute of
Labour Sciences and Social Affairs, said more attention should be paid to
women with disadvantages, including poor women, ethnic minorities and women
working informal jobs. Insurance schemes should also respond more effectively
to the special needs of women.
"Research should be conducted on additional measures for
protection against sexual abuse, unintended pregnancy, childbirth and
sexually transmitted diseases," she said.
The ministry also found that more than 10 per cent of poor,
female household heads lacked a job because of their demanding household
chores. The rate for male heads of households was 5 per cent. The rate of
literacy in women was lower than in men, at 93.1 per cent and 96.6 per cent,
respectively. Women also made up 56.3 per cent of the unemployed.
Poor and ethnic minority women were entitled to free health
insurance by law, said Nguyen Thi Tu, director of the Department for Ethnic
Minorities under the Committee of Ethnic Minority Affairs. But often they
didn't know how to use health insurance for medical treatments and exams.
"For that reason, in my opinion the Government needs to
train local staff on social protection policies," she said.
Those entitled to the free health insurance in ethnic minority
areas also needed more information on the benefits they would receive.
"We must acknowledge that social protection programmes
cannot be gender-blind," Ishikawa said.
HFM disease spreading rapidly
All three children of Pham Ly Bang of Tan Binh District, who
contracted hand-foot-mouth disease from each other, are being treated at
local hospitals, which are now burdened with many patients with the
contagious disease.
Bang's two older children are now recovering but the others
are being treated at HCM City Paediatrics Hospitals No 1's Neurology and
Infectious Diseases ward.
"My daughter cries due to pain. Ulcers have appeared on
her tongue. And she has a poor appetite," she said.
Along with her kids, more parents have taken their children to
the hospital for treatment of the disease. On April 20, nearly 50 children
were admitted to the ward.
The number of children admitted last week was high also,
according to the ward's report.
Dr Truong Huu Khanh, the ward's head, said many inpatients
were diagnosed at grade 3, and at grade 4, the highest level that can affect
the lungs or even lead to death. Paralysis can also occur.
Parents with young children should take preventive measures as
the disease peaks in May, June, September and October, he said.
There is no vaccine and specific treatment for the disease, he
added.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness among
children under 5 years old.
Ninety-five per cent of children diagnosed with the illness
recover, but for more serious cases, complications such as pulmonary edema or
paralysis can occur.
In the case of children with complications that are not
treated, they can die quickly.
Khanh said that parents should learn the signs of the disease
and take their children to the hospital for tests.
Common signs include fever, reduced appetite, sore throat and
rash on hands, feet and the diaper area.
If they have the virus, they should stay at home until they
recover to avoid transmission, Khanh said, adding that it was vital to
isolate infected children in families to avoid transmission.
"It is very important that everyone wash their hands with
soap and water, and clean and disinfect toys and the floors frequently as the
disease is transmitted via digestive system," he added.
RoK association helps Dioxin victims
The Association of People Loving Vietnam in the Republic of
Korea (VESAMO) presented 30,000 USD to Agent Orange/Dioxin victims in the
northern localities of Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Hanoi at a Vietnam-Republic of
Korea charity event on April 22.
The night was in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of
Vietnam’s Southern liberation and national reunification together with the 20
years of friendship between Ho Chi Minh City and Bussan City of the RoK.
At his opening remark, VESAMO President Chang Ho Ick said the
VESAMO has raised funds to support Agent Orange/Dioxin victims and
established a scholarship fund for impoverished children.
Chang affirmed that the VESAMO works to be a friend to Vietnam
and wishes to help the country heal its war scars.
For his part, former Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham
Tien Van expressed his gratitude for the VESAMO’s efforts in organising this
annual charity event over the past 13 years.
Founded in 2002, the VESAMO is a non-profit organisation whose
members are primarily artists, journalists, lawyers and businessmen from
southern Korean cities, such as Bussan, Ulsan and Kyeongnam.
The association handed over 26 gift packages, worth 100
million VND (4,630 USD), to orphans, impoverished children and children with
disabilities in central Ha Tinh province this April.
It also provided support to Vietnamese brides, guest workers
and students in the RoK.-
South Africa’s freedom day marked in Hanoi
The South African Embassy in Hanoi celebrated the 21 st
anniversary of the country’s Freedom Day (April 27) with a ceremony on the
evening of April 22.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Kgomotso Ruth Magau emphasised the
time-honoured friendship with Vietnam since the 1950s and expressed her wish
to cement the ties further for mutual economic growth and better living
standards for both nations’ people.
Foreign Deputy Minister Vu Hong Nam said Vietnam is proud to
be a close friend with South Africa in the struggle for freedom and equality
and one of the first countries establishing diplomatic relations with the
Republic of South Africa.
He went on sharing his belief that the Vietnam-South Africa
partnership for cooperation and development will maintain momentum with
effective implementation of commitments made by the sides’ high-ranking
officials.
More than 900 million USD in annual bilateral trade revenue
makes South Africa the top African trade partner of Vietnam.
Binh Duong introduces Vietnam-Oregon Initiative
The “Vietnam–Oregon Initiative” (VOI) was introduced in the
southern province of Binh Duong on April 22 in honour of the 20 th
anniversary of the normalisation of Vietnam-US ties.
The initiative, co-organised by the provincial People’s
Committee and Portland State University in Oregon, the US, aims to create
various and more efficient forms of collaboration among Vietnamese offices
and organisations with Oregon and other localities of the US.
According to the provincial People’s Committee Chairman Tran
Van Nam, the principal purpose of the VOI’s introduction in southern region
is to speed up cooperative and investment partnerships between the province
and the US state, while developing a cooperative network among Vietnamese
individuals and organisations and Oregon in economics-trade,
education-training, and public management.
Currently, the US is the seventh largest of 39 countries and
territories with investment projects in Binh Duong with 80 projects and total
investment capital of over 630 million USD.
New space for French-speaking community opens in Hanoi
The Vietnam Academy of Social Science in collaboration with
the Francophone University Association (AUF) inaugurated the Hanoi Campus, a
French research and learning centre, on April 22.
According to Head of the Francophone University Association
Bernard Cerquiglini, the Hanoi establishment will bring a wide range of advanced
educational materials and facilities to French students, postgraduates and
lecturers from AUF member schools. It also serves as a communal space for
them to study and organise events.
A similar centre will also be opened in Ho Chi Minh City.
Francophone University Association is a global network of more
than 800 French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Its
operations aim to support cooperation and solidarity among the global French
community.
First social housing project in Binh Thuan launched
The Binh Thuan Housing Business and Construction Company began
work on a social housing project in the central coastal city of Phan Thiet ,
Binh Thuan province on April 23.
Covering 3,700 square metres in Phu Tai ward, the project
comprises two 14-storey buildings with a total of 306 apartments.
The investor committed to selling 43-60 square-metre
apartments for 350-500 million VND (16,200-23,200 USD).
Interested buyers can also access loans from the government’s
30 trillion VND housing support package with an annual interest rate of 5
percent over 15 years.
The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter
of 2016.
Scholarships presented to children of Typhoon Chanchu victims
The Study Encouragement Association of central Quang Nam
province presented 140 scholarships worth over 210 million VND (9,730 USD) on
April 23 to children who lost one or both parents in Typhoon Chanchu in 2006.
The Chanchu scholarship fund was established to financially support
children in Tam Ky city and districts of Thang Binh, Nui Thanh, Dien Ban, Duy
Xuyen and Que Son in Quang Nam province so that they can continue their
studies.
The students, ranging from primary school age to college and
university age, receive 800,000 VND – 3 million VND (37 USD – 140 USD) every
year, depending on their level of study.
Founded in 2007, the scholarship fund has given out over 1,230
scholarships worth nearly 1.5 billion VND (69,510 USD) to date.
Typhoon Chanchu hit central provinces in May 2006, bringing
heavy rain and winds up to 175 kilometres per hour. It claimed the lives of
at least 21 people and around 220 missing fishermen have been presumed dead.
New space for French-speaking community opens in Hanoi
The Vietnam Academy of Social Science in collaboration with
the Francophone University Association (AUF) inaugurated the Hanoi Campus, a
French research and learning centre, on April 22.
According to Head of the Francophone University Association
Bernard Cerquiglini, the Hanoi establishment will bring a wide range of
advanced educational materials and facilities to French students,
postgraduates and lecturers from AUF member schools. It also serves as a
communal space for them to study and organise events.
A similar centre will also be opened in Ho Chi Minh City.
Francophone University Association is a global network of more
than 800 French-speaking higher-education and research institutions. Its
operations aim to support cooperation and solidarity among the global French
community.
Documentary books honour 40 years of national reunification
The People’s Public Security Publishing House introduced two
documentary books in Hanoi on April 22 on the occasion of the 40 th
anniversary of South Vietnam liberation and national re-unification.
The book “Nhung ngay o chien truong- Tap 3” (Battlefield Days
– part three) features portraits of public security officers who joined the
fighting on the southern battlefield before 1975.
Another book, “Nhung la thu thoi chien Vietnam” (Letters
during the Vietnamese war), took 10 years to complete (2005-2015) and
introduces over 100 letters of war veterans, invalids and martyrs sent to
their families and relatives during the anti-US war. They are among thousands
of letters collected by writer Dang Vuong Hung, who initiated a campaign to
collect items and documents related to the war.
Speaking at the event, Director-Chief Editor of the People’s
Public Security Publishing House Nguyen Hong Thai said the introduction of
the books is intended to commemorate former generations who sacrified their
lives for the nation’s reunification and enhance the younger generation’s
patriotism.
Reproductive healthcare social franchise model opens in Yen
Bai
A reproductive healthcare service social franchise model named
‘Tinh chi em’ (Sisterhood) was launched in the Au Lau commune’s health centre
in Yen Bai city of the mountainous northern province of Yen Bai on April 22.
The social franchise model is a new approach to development;
using commercial franchise expertise to achieve social goals.
The ‘Sisterhood’ model aims to improve women’s health by
multiplying it nationwide at public health establishments to provide
high-quality family planning and reproductive healthcare services.
Phase I of the model was successfully implemented in Khanh Hoa
province and Da Nang city from 2005-2009, and Thai Nguyen, Thua Thien-Hue and
Vinh Long provinces during phase II (2009-2012).
The project caught the interest of the European Union, who
then assisted with the expansion of ‘Sisterhood’ in Thua Thien-Hue and Vinh
Long provinces from 2010 to 2013.
Phase III of the project has been implemented in Yen Bai, Ca
Mau and Dak Lak provinces, focusing on refining the model, opening the
network and lobbying for nationwide implementation.
Methadone treatment centre established in Kon Tum
The Health Department of the Central Highlands province of Kon
Tum opened a methadone treatment centre for drug addicts in Ngo May ward of
Kon Tum City on April 21.
The centre will provide methadone treatment for about 100 drug
users this year.
Together with psychosocial therapies, methadone has been
proven to be an effective method in helping improve the overall health of
drug users, reduce crimes and slow the incidence rate of HIV transmission and
other blood-borne diseases.
Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been carried out in
more than 80 countries and territories for years, benefitting over 1 million drug
users.
The programme was initially piloted in Hai Phong and Ho Chi
Minh City in 2008, and then expanded to 32 cities and provinces nationwide,
with more than 17,500 patients being treated in 92 clinics.
After a 12-month treatment course, the percentage of patients
at high risk of depression dropped to 15 percent from 80 percent. Many gained
weight and saw stable physical and mental health. Meanwhile, the crime rate
amongst drug users sank to 1.3 percent from 40.8 percent, according to the
Ministry of Health.
Forest land dwindles in Central Highlands’ localities
Central Highlands provinces need to accelerate measures to
protect and develop regional forests which are currently suffering from
significant deforestation.
According to the National Steering Committee on Forest
Protection and Development, forest areas in Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon
Tum and Lam Dong stood at 2,567,116 hectares, of which natural forest
accounts for nearly 2,254,000 hectares.
Compared to 2008, the forest area in the Central Highland has
fallen by nearly 360,000 hectares, bringing the total forest coverage down to
45.8 percent. Excluding areas under industrial crops, the coverage rate drops
to 32.4 percent.
The loss of forest land in the region is due to socio-economic
development in the locality, particularly a project to use forest land to
grow rubber trees and other purposes, all of which was carried out without
permits from authorised agencies.
Over 15,792 hectares of forest in the region were cut down for
the sake of hydroelectricity and other projects. Investors have only
re-planted 892 hectares.
In addition, the decline of forest land is also attributed to
rampant acts of forest destruction and land encroachment for agricultural
production by ethnic groups’ slash-and-burn practice or illegal migrants,
which deforested 88,603 hectares.
Localities have detected and handled 3,163 cases of
deforestation and illegal timber exploitation since 2013. Reforestation in
the region has seen improvement but is unable to keep pace with forest
reduction.
In 2014, 13,431 hectares were planted, meeting only 74 percent
of the annual target.
Three Laotian busted heroin ring
Police in Lao Cai province at 11pm on April 22 arrested three
Laotian nationals for smuggling 27 heroin cakes by car into Vietnam.
Police arrested the three foreigners, whose name are
translated into Vietnamese as Her Lek, 23, and Kaoher Yalyvone, 30, who both
reside in Hua Phan province, Laos, and Her Leege, 46, who resides in
Vientiane, Laos.
227 heroin cakes were detected in various parts of car.
This is the largest drug haul seized by police in Lao Cai
province so far.
Vietnamese authorities are carrying out further investigation
into the case.
Source :
VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri
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Thứ Sáu, 24 tháng 4, 2015
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