Sweden helps Mekong region become green

Sweden will help An Giang become a “green” centre in the Mekong delta with a host of bio-energy solutions.

At a seminar on bio-energy and waste management hosted by An Giang on February 24, Swedish specialists introduced a wide range of technologies for producing bio-energy from treated waste and turning organic waste into renewable energy.

Topping other provinces with a rice harvest of 3.4 million tonnes a year, An Giang, however, has dealt with the processing of over 3 million tonnes of straw and over 600,000 tonnes of rice husks each year.

In addition to that, An Giang has been tackling the huge amount of waste discharged from 21 aquatic processing plants and 1,200 tonnes of household rubbish a day.

Currently, the locality is yet to have any waste treatment plants capable of transforming waste into energy or producing other kind of fuels.

The exploitation of bio-energy plays an important role in society, energy security and sustainable economic development in An Giang and the Mekong delta.

The development of the bio-energy industry could diversify energy sources, help to save energy, reduce prices of products, ensure energy security and protect the environment in the area.

Minority education project launched

The Ministry of Education and Training on February 25 launched a project to promote education for students from nine ethnic minority groups with low populations in the 2010-15 period.

The project will support pupils and students from the O Du, Pu Peo, Si La, Ro Mam, Cong, B’rau, Bo Y, Mang and Co Lao groups from the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, the central province of Nghe An and the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, each has a population of 300-2,000.

A ministry report showed that the nine groups live in poor disadvantaged areas, where literacy levels are between just 30-40 percent and only 15 percent of the people can speak the national language. Most children from the groups drop out of school after second or third grade and few make it to high school or higher education.

The project, approved by the Prime Minister, has a funding of US$17 million. It will focus on upgrading infrastructure and equipping schools with more teaching materials.

It will also pay for training to give teachers a better understanding of the ethnic minority groups they teach.

All the students will be encouraged to follow further education and high school graduates wishing to attend colleges, universities or vocational schools will be given priority depending on their abilities and desires.

Project offers treatment and care for drug users

A workshop was held in Hanoi on February 25 to launch a United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) - funded project for the treatment of drug use and health-related effects.

The US$200,000 project, managed by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), will be carried out in Truong Thi commune of Thanh Hoa city, Thanh Hoa province, Tien Hai town of Thai Binh province’s Tien Hai district and Muong Khen commune of Hoa Binh province’s Tan Lac district.

The project’s objectives include increasing beneficiaries’ access to drug detoxification services, and restoring health for drug users, thus reducing drug addiction’s effects on community’s health, including HIV transmission.

It also aims to raise local authorities’ capacity on building and developing drug treatment networks and a healthy community, as well as duplicate the project’s model to turn it into a nationwide social service network to reduce drug demand.

According to MOLISA, the proportion of drug users under 30 years of age increased from 45 percent in 1996 to 57 percent and 68 percent in 2001 and 2010, respectively.

By December 2009, 147,000 Vietnamese people were reported to use drugs, of whom, 84.72 percent were heroin addicts and 11.58 percent used opium.

Bird flu infects five new provinces

The Hanoi Veterinary Department said bird flu had been discovered in five more provinces – northern Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Lang Son, Nam Dinh provinces and the Central Highland province of Kon Tum.

Foot-and-mouth disease was also reported in central Phu Yen province.

A total of about 700 buffaloes, cows and pigs were reported to be affected.

Since the end of January, foot-and-mouth disease has been discovered in 19 provinces across the nation.

National programme targets children in need

A national programme on child protection during 2011-2015 aims to reduce the rate of children in difficulties to below 5.5 percent of all total children nationwide by 2015.

The programme, approved by the Prime Minister on February 22, also sets a target of having 80 percent of children in special difficulties given care and the opportunity to reintegrate into the community and minimise the risks for 70 percent of children in special circumstances.

Half of the country’s cities and provinces will build and put into operation child protection services.

The VND1.75 trillion programme will give priority to children in special difficulties and those at risk of falling into special circumstances such as abused children and juvenile offenders.

The localities which report the highest numbers of children in special need, areas which are mainly inhabited by ethnic minority people in poor socio-economic conditions will be given special attention.

Dutch foundation offers Ca Mau eye treatment machine

The centre for prevention of social diseases of the southern province of Ca Mau on February 25 received a Jag Laer machine from the Netherlands’ Eye Care Foundation (ECF).

The Jag Laer machine is worth EUR28,000, of which, VND140 million come from the province.

This is part of a cooperation project on eye treatment, sponsored by the ECF over the 2002-2013 period. The assistance is divided into four stages, each cost US$70,000.

The project consists of such activities as providing free eye surgeries, and training courses for surgeons and technicians, and supplying healthcare equipment.

Many provinces at extreme risk of forest fires

Thirteen provinces throughout the country are threatened by forest fires, according to the Department of Forest Management under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Prolonged dry weather is the main reason for the concern.

People’s Committees at all levels have been asked to deploy immediate measures to prevent forest fires.

Nguyen Huu Dung, deputy head of the department, said they were organising fire watch teams and emergency response teams to monitor forests throughout the country.

The Department of Forest Management of the northern province of Bac Giang said they were co-operating with the provincial People’s Committee to provide personnel and firefighting resources.

Local authorities have been asked to organise continuous patrols, to instruct local people on how to ensure the safety of slash-and-burn agriculture and monitor potential fire hotspots.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has been requested to keep locals updated on potential threats.

Strict punishment would be imposed on people illegally starting fires in forests.

Apart from Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Ninh Binh, Dong Nai, Gia Lai and Kien Giang are also on the risk list.

Statistics from the Department of Forest Management show that there were 897 forest fire cases last year, 262 percent more than 2009, destroying an approximate of 5,668 hectares of woodland nationwide.

11-year-old girl with bleeding tumour saved

As many as 50 doctors from three hospitals of Cho Ray, National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion; and National Hospital of Odonto-stomatology have saved an 11-year-old girl with a bleeding tumour.

The patient was taken to Cho Ray Hospital on January 5 with a bleeding tumour on the right half of her face.

She is now in stable condition. However, the medical costs of her treatment have reached VND2.6 billion (US$124,500) and has had to appeal for donations.

Two traffickers of women prosecuted

Ban Lau Boder Guard Station in northern Lao Cai Province decided to prosecute two traffickers in women yesterday.

The accused traffickers are Hoang Van Chin, 26, of the H’Mong ethnic group in Bac Ha District’s Coc Ly Commune, and Lu Seo Sa, 29, of Muong Khuong District’s Ta Ngai Cho Commune.

Chin, Sa and another man namedTrang Seo Dung, of Muong Khuong District, were allegedly caught trafficking two H’Mong ethnic women with the intent to sell them to a Chinese woman.

Awards handed out to employers of disabled

Blue Ribbon Awards were given to 14 groups and individuals, including disabled people and organisations or enterprises hiring the disabled, for their contribution on job promotion for the disabled in Viet Nam at a ceremony yesterday.

The award, initiated by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commercial and Industry and the Viet Nam Assistance Handicapped Organisation, aims to help disabled people integrate into the society.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs statistics reveal that Viet Nam has around 5.3 million disabled people, of which only 3.36 per cent are currently employed and four per cent have received education.

Party, State leaders praise medical staff on doctors’ day

Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Central Committee Dinh The Huynh congratulated health workers on the occasion of the Viet Nam Physicians’ Day during his visit to the Ministry of Health.

He asked the health sector to keep up its good work and to fully implement the Party’s resolutions.

On the same day, Party Central Committee member and Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien conveyed her greetings to doctors and staff at the National Hospital of Odonto–Stomatology.

Vietnam News Agency also held a friendly meeting with leaders from the Ministry of Health and doctors from national hospitals in Ha Noi. VNA General Director Tran Mai Huong extended his warmest congratulations to medical staff.