Officials blame poor working conditions for workers’ hospitalisation
Health Ministry officials and health experts yesterday alleged that over 2,000 workers of two companies had been affected by high levels of organic solvents, leading to their hospitalisation.
The incident happened in the northern Thanh Hoa City last Thursday and Monday.
A team of inspectors from the ministry, led by head of the Food Safety Department Tran Quang Trung, yesterday investigated the working conditions in the two companies, namely the Taiwanese Hong Fu Footware Company Ltd and the Hong My Company.
They found that the hospitalised workers had been working in cramped and stuffy workshops which lacked a proper blower system. The levels of organic solvent there increased during hot days, which affected the workers’ nervous system.
The Thanh Hoa Health Department reported that over 1,300 workers were hospitalised last Thursday and 668 on Monday with symptoms of headache, dizziness, vomiting, sweating and twisted limbs.
As of yesterday, 67 workers were still in hospital.
Previously, the Thanh Hoa provincial authorities dismissed speculation that the shoe workers had been poisoned as they found no trace of poison or heavy metals in the water drunk by the workers.
Can Tho doctors remove 11-kg tumor from man’s stomach
Doctors at the Can Tho General Hospital have succeeded in removing an 11-kilogram tumor from a 60-year-old man’s stomach.
Dr. La Van Phu, head of surgery, said May 21 that Thieu Thanh Xuan of Binh Minh Town — in the nearby province of Vinh Long — was brought in on May 13, fatigued and with a distended stomach.
A CT scan revealed the tumor that occupied his entire stomach.
Doctors performed a three-hour surgery on May 21 to remove it.
Xuan is now recovering.
Mortality rates of mothers and children down sharply
Vietnam has made remarkable progress in reducing the fatality rates of mothers and children under five, said Deputy Health Minister, Nguyen Viet Tien.
In his statement at the 14th Vietnam-France-Asia-Pacific Conference on Obstetrics and Gynecology in HCM City on May 21, Tien attributed these achievements to the effective cooperation in sharing experiences and training nurses, doctors at home and abroad.
More than 1,000 scientific reports were presented by both Vietnamese and foreign experts during the conference, with a focus on such fields as laparoscopic surgery, prenatal diagnosis, newborn screening, and cosmetic surgery. Thelatest medical documents and valuable clinical experiences have been applied effectively in advanced nations.
In addition, a series of seminars will be held to discuss the transfer of advanced technologies in diagnosing and treating obstetrics.
Ministry orders probe into hazardous medical waste
The Health Ministry has ordered the Department of Health Environment Management Agency to look into recent findings by VietnamPlus, an online newspaper of Vietnam News Agency, which alleged major hospitals were selling medical waste to villages around Ha Noi to be recycled, despite serious health hazards.
VietnamPlus reported that dozen of tonnes of medical waste were being sold for recycling in villages such as Nhu Quynh Town in Hung Yen Province or Trieu Khuc village in the Thanh Tri District of Ha Noi.
Director of the Health Environment Management Agency, Nguyen Huy Nga, said an average of 400-500 tonnes of medical waste was discharged on a daily basis around the country with 10 per cent classified as “extremely toxic” waste.
Investigative reporters from VietnamPlus travelled to Minh Khai Hamlet in Nhu Quynh Town of Hung Yen Province, discovering multiple households with hundreds of nylon bags containing medical waste, intended to be made into plastic.
Nguyen Huu Canh, head of Minh Khai Hamlet, said the waste had come from major hospitals in Ha Noi, such as Bach Mai Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital.
“They send family members to the hospitals and hire people to package used medical supplies such as injection needles and empty medical bottles,” he said.
Residents relying on the trade say they were either unaware or not concerned by the need to disinfect the waste.
In a first for Vietnam, doctors save child with measles-induced encephalitis
For the first time in the country doctors at Hanoi’s Bach Mai Hospital have managed to save the life of an infant suffering from encephalitis caused by measles.
Dr Nguyen Tien Dung, head of pediatrics at the hospital, said May 20 that nine-month-old Nguyen Truong Nam of the northern province of Bac Ninh had been brought to the hospital a month earlier in a coma and suffering from breathing failure and convulsions.
His oxygen saturation was below 90 percent against a normal minimum of 95 percent.
Doctors found he had encephalitis as a result of measles, put him on a breathing machine, and gave him drugs for the convulsive fits.
After struggling for a whole month, doctors managed to save the child’s life.
Nam is now in stable condition.
Dung, saying it was a first in the country, urged doctors to immediately think about encephalitic complications if children with measles have high fever and convulsive fits.
Swedish green technology introduced in VietnamVitamin A supplements given to under-fives
About 5 million Vietnamese children aged from 6-36 months across the country’s 63 provinces and cities will receive free vitamin A pills on June 1-2.
At a May 21 press conference in Hanoi, deputy head of the National Institute of Nutrition under the Health Ministry, Le Bach Mai, said that vitamin A capsules will also be provided for 863,000 mothers who have given birth within this month and 880,000 children from 37-60 months old in 22 disadvantaged provinces and to.
This is part of activities organised for Vietnam Micronutrient Day (June 1), which aims at reducing the high rate of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in children in the country.
Communication campaigns will also be put forward to strengthen the awareness of the community, especially mothers, of micronutrient deficiencies by providing them advice on reasonable nutrition, dietary regimes and supplements of vitamin A, iron and iodine, Mai said.
Last year, 25.9% of Vietnamese children under five suffered from malnutrition.
MoT sets rules for single ramp ferries
Ferries with only a single ramp would be allowed to carry passengers, cargo and vehicles if they met technical safety requirements and environmental protection measures, according to a new draft decree.
The decree, which was chalked out by the Ministry of Transport, stipulates that ferries with a single ramp must be registered and carry licence plates issued by authorised agencies. They must also carry life-saving equipment.
Nguyen Manh Thang, deputy head of the ministry’s Science and Technology Department, said that cars needed to reverse off ferries with single ramps to disembark. This posed the risk of accidents, especially on steep wharfs.
Drivers without experience, cars with heavy cargo or sudden engine failure could lead to vehicles falling into the water, he said.
Ferry crews will be required to make sure all passengers wear life-jackets, and all cargo and vehicles must be secured properly before departure. Sick animals, chemicals and flammable substances will be banned on ferries.
Pilots will also be required to have licences.
The draft decree was drawn up after the ministry received requests from some transport departments about operating ferries with single ramps in their localities.
These ferries are said to be an effective and safe means of transport for carrying passengers and large vehicles. They use less fuel and are quicker and cheaper than double-ended ferries, so many waterway transport enterprises, especially those in rural areas where there aren’t any bridges, have invested in these vessels.
In 2008, the ministry stopped registering ferries with single entrances due to safety reasons. The ministry also tightened control over vessels and only allowed them to carry cars weighing less than 3.5 tonnes.
The ministry is collecting public opinion about the draft decree, and the Viet Nam Register will be in charge of deciding which single ramp ferries receive permission to carry vehicles.
Dong Nai puts safety first with traffic cameras
Traffic police in southern Dong Nai Province have spent VND92 billion (US4.3 million) on installing traffic cameras in Bien Hoa City to help curb traffic violations and road accidents.
As many as 58 cameras have been installed at 25 points along crowded road junctions in the city. Police officials have also said the cameras will help police maintain better control over traffic flows and impose fines for violations.
The camera system has been connected with the city’s traffic management centre, which uses automatic software to trace traffic violations such as speeding, ignoring red lights and reckless driving, and identify sources of traffic accidents.
The system also boasts the ability to identify the number plates of vehicles involved in accidents while accurately identifying the exact causes of accidents.
All information will then be sent to police to impose penalties on the spot or send fines to the work or residential addresses of traffic offenders.
The province also plans to continue investing in more cameras on various key routes throughout the province.
Figures from the provincial Traffic Safety Committee showed that 635 accidents took place last year, killing 425 people and leaving 512 injured.
Although the number of accidents reduced compared to the previous year, the committee said the quality of roads had declined and that vehicles continued to drive in opposite lanes, increasing the risk of accidents.
Vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Vinh has required transport authorities to improve the quality of roads and strengthen penalties for offenders. The province will also aim to reduce the number of traffic accidents by 5 per cent from the previous year.
The investment adds to traffic cameras already installed on key routes on National highway No1 to help trim the number of accidents occuring on the route.
Man killed after truck collides with house
A 70-year-old man was killed after a container truck crashed into his house yesterday off National Highway No 5 in Ha Noi City’s Gia Lam District.
The truck driver fled the scene, while traffic stood still for hours afterwards.
Local police are investigating the case.
Koica funds smart classroom
Central Quang Ngai Province and the Korea International Co-operation Agency (Koica) opened its smart classroom initiative, under the Primary School Support Project backed by the South Korean government, at Tinh Tho Primary school yesterday.
The initiaitive will help equip primary school teachers, students and local residents with computer skills with US$396,000 in funding for one year.
As scheduled, the fund will provide 189 computers, a smart board, projectors, scanners and the installation of computer rooms for nine primary schools in the province this year.
Korean lecturers and students from Bucheon University will also lecture in IT, English, Music, Arts and teaching skills and join voluntary activities.
Women charged for SOE jobs scam
Police from northern mountainous Son La Province yesterday launched prosecutions against two women for appropriating funds they received for falsely promising jobs at State-owned companies.
The two suspects, including one pregnant woman, admitted to police that they had received VND3.5 billion (US$165,000) from 30 local residents from 2012-13.
The suspects committed to provide jobs at State-owned agencies operating in the province but failed to deliver on the promises, prompting clients to tip off local police.
Container ship lifted off southern coast
Container ship Heung-A Dragon, which was submerged off the coast of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province last November, was successfully lifted on Tuesday.
According to Le Van Chien, director of the Vung Tau Port Authority, the South Korean ship is still tilted to a 5 degree angle due to a large hole measuring six metres wide and nine metres long.
The ship sustained heavy damage in a collision with another foreign cargo vessel from the Marshall Islands.
On May 16, local rescue forces retrieved more than 600 containers and pumped nearly 500 tonnes of oil from inside the ship.
Banks urged to enhance risk, environmental management
Banks in Viet Nam have not focused on handling environmental and social risks, though 75 per cent of banks affirmed that if the issue is given importance, risks could be avoided.
Simon Andrews, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Manager for Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, made the statement at the banker conference held in Ha Noi last Saturday.
Le Van Be, senior advisor at Institute of Manpower, Banking and Finance, noted that the environmental and social risks management is not a new issue. However, banks’ assessment on investment into projects, especially hydropower plants, should include factors such as humans, social security and environment around.
“Issues emerging from environment, society from production activities could make businesses suffer losses relating to finance, legal responsibilities as well as being affected in terms of prestige and trademark in the market,” Be stated.
Cat Quang Duong, deputy head of the State Bank of Viet Nam’s Credit Policy Department, agreed, adding that most of the country’s banks have not had official policies, regulations and systems relating to environmental and social risks management or less investments on such systems.
Duong noted that some banks admitted that lending to businesses that violate regulations on environment and society had high risks. However, most of the banks were not aware of the direct connection between environmental and social risks management and their financial and banking activities.
“The problem has resulted in several banks facing with negative effects such as legal disputes and reducing prestige. The challenge has put pressure on the banking sector to ensure sufficient capital for the economy while maintaining sustainable development,” he added.
He pointed out that several credit institutions in developed and developing countries have become aware of the importance of environmental and social risks management after the world financial crisis.
The banks have considered sustainable development as a competitive advantage, a chance for growth and a vital part in risks management.
A report from IFC revealed that nearly 80 banks and credit institutions in developed and developing countries have joined the Equator Principles, which is a risk management framework, adopted by financial institutions, for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risk in projects and is primarily intended to provide a minimum standard for due diligence to support responsible risk decision-making.
The central bank and IFC have researched to promulgate a guideline and tool kit to assess environmental and social risks for commercial banks to apply.
The kit was expected to promulgate in June with an aim of making it compulsory in a decree applied for banks and credit institutions.
Duong stated that the SBV in cooperation with IFC will build a criteria kit to assess environmental and social risks on 5 – 10 specific sectors.
The decree was expected to create an equal playground for all credit institutions in Viet Nam.
Norwegian NGOs meet in Binh Dinh
A meeting of Norwegian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) took place in the central province of Binh Dinh on May 21, reviewing the implementation of Norway-funded projects in Vietnam.
Hosted by the Norway Red Cross (NRC) in Vietnam, the event brought together representatives from Vietnam’s People’s Aid Coordinating Committee, the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC), Binh Binh provincial People’s Committee and relevant sectors.
Speaking at the event, Binh Dinh province’s People’s Committee Vice Chairwoman Tran Thi Thu Ha highly appreciated Norwegian NGOs’ support, especially the NRC for its “Disaster Risk Reduction” project, which has been carried out in the locality since 2010.
She also expressed her hope that NGOs will continue deploying disaster prevention projects as well as organising campaigns to raise public awareness of climate change and improve adaptation ability in the locality, which frequently bears serious damage caused by typhoons and flooding.
The local authorities will create favourable conditions for foreign NGOs to survey and perform projects in the locality, Ha stated.
Nearly 1.9 million USD was disbursed for assistance projects in Binh Dinh last year.
The projects focused on poverty reduction, disaster prevention and mitigation, public health, rural development, and child care and protection, contributing practically to improving living conditions for local people.-
25 scholarships to encourage women to pursue tech, industrial careers
Coca-Cola Vietnam and AmCham Vietnam will give away 25 scholarships worth VND200 million (US$ 9,500) to women students at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, University of Technical Education, Industrial University, and Can Tho University in 2014-15.
The scholarships are meant to enable the women to pursue careers in technology and industry, which are often considered appropriate only for men.
Quang Nam honours 124 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers
The Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee on May 21 presented the State recognition title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother to 124 women in the province for their great contributions and sacrifices to the cause of national liberation, construction and defence.
On this occasion 55 mothers were conferred with the notable title and 69 others were honoured posthumously.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Ngoc Quang stressed that Vietnamese in general and Quang Nam’s people in particular always keep in mind the heroic sacrifice and dedication of millions of martyrs, war invalids and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers.
“This is a chance for us to honour and express gratitude to the nation’s heroes and also to educate the younger generation in the building and protecting the Fatherland,” Quang added.
Upholding the fine tradition of the Vietnamese people − ‘Drinking water, remembering its source’− the provincial authorities in the last years have actively implemented support policies for revolutionary contributors.
Despite many difficulties, the province has spent considerable funds to cover regular expenses, allowances and gifts to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers. Quang Nam has also encouraged agencies, units, businesses, political organisations, and armed forces both within and outside the province to donate saving books and take care of local Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, with a total funding of over VND4.5 billion annually.
To date 7,788 women in the province have been recognised with the title.
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