One more fatality of A/H1N1 confirmed in HCM City; International hospital to be built in Hue city; EC grants EUR1.5 million for Vietnam’s healthcare industry; Da Nang hosts workshop on small scale fishery management

Phung Thi Nga, 9 months old, was hopitalised at Dak Lak General hospital on October 21st , where she was diagnosed with pneumonia due to flu infection and treated with Tamiflu. The same day, Nga tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus at the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology of Tay Nguyen.

When her condition got worse she was moved to Nhi Dong 1 hospital and then died of respiratory failure on October 26.

Also on October 26 there were 14 new cases of A/H1N1 flu hospitalised in Ho Chi Minh City. 69 patients are in quarantine, six of them are in a serious condition. The city’s Medical Prevention Centre is trying to control flu outbreaks in 35 areas.

International hospital to be built in Hue

The new 10,000sq.m international hospital will include three 6-story buildings with 300 wards.

It will be built at the site of Thua Phu which was a prison used by the French Colonialists and American Imperialists and then Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Public Security.

With a total in investment capitalization of nearly VND200 billion, the construction of the hospital will start in December 2009.

On the 1,000sq.m hospital campus, vestiges of the Thua Phu prison will be preserved.

EC grants EUR1.5 million for Vietnam’s healthcare industry

The European Committee (EC) in Vietnam and the German Technical Cooperation Organisation (GTZ) on October 27 signed an agreement to carry out project to strengthen the capacity of Vietnam’s healthcare industry with EUR1.5 million in capital aid from the EC.

The GTZ is authorized by the German Government to upgrade the equipment system in the healthcare industry in Yen Bai and Thanh Hoa provinces.

The project aims to intensify the healthcare system, supporting the planning and drafting of a state budget, and provide high-quality healthcare services for Vietnamese people.

Da Nang hosts workshop on small scale fishery management

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is holding a workshop to exchange experiences on small scale fishery management in Vietnam and throughout the region in the Central city of Da Nang on October 26-27.

Reports highlight that Vietnam’s fishermen have not paid much attention to the State’s regulations on fisheries. This illegal over exploit action of aquatic resources.

The administrative offices however, cannot control a water area of more than 1 million km2 where over 126,000 fishing boats and ships are operating.

Public participation combined with effective management in such provinces as Binh Dinh, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa and Ben Tre has yielded fruitful results in protecting the environment and aquatic resources.

The administrative office should cooperate with the fishermen to ensure the fairness and transparency in ensuring the rights and responsibilities of both sides.

PM approves allocation of radio-frequency spectrum

The Prime Minister has issued a decision on national radio-frequencies to divide the spectrum into wavebands dedicated to various uses.

According to the decision, the Ministry of Information and Communication is responsible for the State management of radio-frequencies.

The scheme will be applicable to individuals and organisations who are involved in managing and using radio-frequencies and those who import radio equipment for use in Vietnam.

The management of radio-frequencies is not only nationally but also internationally important. The allocation of bandwidth helps ministries, agencies, organisations and individuals orient themselves in researching, producing, importing, installing and using radio equipment in Vietnam. It is also a basis for the issuance of more detailed rules governing the use of radio-frequencies.

The scheme divides the spectrum into wavebands from OkHz – 1,000 GHz in accordance with Vietnamese law and international treaties. It will meet the demands of those who use radio-frequencies for civilian purposes, security and defence and reserve bandwidth for the future application of new radio technologies.

Conference raises awareness of human health and development

An international conference aimed at raising awareness of ensuring the rights to human health and development opened in Hanoi on October 26.

The four-day event, jointly held by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Propaganda and Education (CPE) and Australia’s New South Wales University, drawn the participation of more than 260 leading scientists and social activists in health, development and human rights sectors from Vietnam and the world.

The conference is organised to raise awareness of close ties between health, development and human rights as well as put forth measures, policies and strategies to address the current health and development challenges.

Vietnam has recorded a number of important achievements in ensuring health, development and human rights for the people, especially poverty reduction, public healthcare, educational and health development, gender equality and women’s advancement.

The country has successfully implemented the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The conference includes a plenary session and supplementary meetings covering four main topics, including HIV/AIDS and other public health risks, mother and child health, and the impact of climate change and economic globalisation on human health and development.

AI Games III to promote Hanoi’s image

The third Asian Indoor Games will be an excellent chance for Vietnam to promote the capital city’s image to those attending the Games, said Deputy Director of the Hanoi’s Municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mai Tien Dung.

In preparation for the Games, the capital city’s tourism bureau has printed tourist guidebooks and leaflets to introduce Hanoi’s beautiful scenic sites to the visitors and promote the National Tourism Year 2010.

During the AI Games III Hanoi’s tourism companies will offer many tour programmes.

Vietnam is expected to receive about 10,000 officials, trainers, athletes and reporters from many countries and territories participating at the event.

Calling justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims

The US must bear its responsibility and compensate for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, said Len Aldis, general secretary of the UK-Vietnam Friendship Association, at a meeting with more than 200 students in Ho Chi Minh City on October 25.

Len Aldis is the author of the website http://www.petitiononline.com/AOVN/petition.html which is designed to collect signatures from those who want to support Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.

All participants in the meeting were moved by documents collected by Mr Aldis on the fates children suffering from the Agent Orange/Dioxin chemical.

Mr Aldis called upon students to sign on the website, demanding justice for Agent Orange victims and to join in activities, such as visiting and caring Agent Orange victims.

Mr Aldis recalled a letter written by Nguyen Duc – an Agent Orange in Ho Chi Minh City- saying that “I find something of a paradox that you hung Saddam Hussein because he had used chemical weapons, but during the war in another country you sprayed chemicals and have still evaded your responsibility. The US must bear its responsibility and compensate for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. This must be done sooner or later.”

US fund aids 2,200 Vietnamese children with hearing loss

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations received visitors from the US Starkey Fund and the Fund for Disadvantaged People from October 21-26.

The two organisations have donated more than 4,000 hearing aids for 2,200 Vietnamese children, who are hard of hearing.

Of the 4,000 devices, 1,000 were given to the Vietnam Friendship Village in Hoai Duc district, Hanoi for 700 children in the Northern regions at a total value of US$700,000.

On October 22-23 the Starkey Fund also worked with the Vietnam Fund for Poor Patients to donate another 3,000 devices for nearly 1,500 children in the Southern regions.

The Fund has so far provided hearing aids for about 12,200 children in the country.

PV