10 officials face trial in blood test scandal

The trial in the blood test replication scandal at the city-based Hoai Duc Hospital will begin on March 7.

The Ha Noi People's Court's Deputy Chief Judge Nguyen Huu Chinh told the media yesterday that 10 health officials involved in the replication of 1,000 blood test results for 2,000 patients between May and July last year will face trial.

Former hospital Director Nguyen Tri Liem and Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Nhien were prosecuted for negligence that could have had serious consequences, under Article 285 of the Penal Code.

Vuong Thi Kim Thanh, head of the hospital's laboratory, and seven other laboratory workers were prosecuted on charges of abusing power while on duty, under Article 281 of the Penal Code.

The scandal about the replication of blood tests broke last June after a senior doctor from the hospital denounced the practice in a letter sent to a national television station.

A police investigation revealed that the hospital conducted nearly 25,000 blood tests on patients from July 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013 and provided 1,149 replicated blood test results to them.

Thanh admitted that the aim was to squeeze money out of the hospital's insurance fund. Each blood test result receives VND21,000 ($1) worth of social insurance.

Sua timber causes altercations in Trooc Spring

The Trooc Spring in Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province experienced a dangerous influx of people searching for valuable sua timbers on February 25.

The district’s People’s Committee mobilized police, military and forest rangers to the scene after thousands of people, including gangsters and sua timber barons, trampled farm fields to reach the site.

Nguyen Quang Huy discovered the tree in a spring while he was fishing. Hundreds of people flocked to the area destroying peanut fields after hearing about the discovery.

The massive tree broke the pulley used to bring it ashore. Citizens were able to claim a 30-kilogram section. It was stolen the next morning after an altercation about ownership.

Witnesses claim that the tree was three meters tall with a diameter of more than 1.5 meters. The value is about VND 10 billion (US$475,000) in the black market.

Witnesses also claim that the barons paid workers to seize the timber.

District authorities will hire workers to remove sua timbers from the spring to prevent additional disputes, said Phan Van Gon, chairman of the district’s People’s Committee. He agreed to grant Huy and his friends 30 percent of the wood’s value after auction.

The excavator failed to pull the tree to land. Police and forest rangers will be protecting the area overnight.

Southern provinces meet for bird flu prevention plan

Delegates from Ho Chi Minh City and seven southern provinces met on February 25 to plan additional prevention measures to cope with the bird flu that spread throughout 21 provinces.

Coordination should be strengthened to prevent bird flu from further spreading, said Mai Van Hiep, deputy head of Animal Health Department under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The flu has currently not reached HCMC, Binh Phuoc, Soc Trang, Dong Thap and An Giang Province.

The population of HCMC consumes about 120,000-130,000 poultry per day which 90 percent is imported from provinces including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tien Giang and Tay Ninh, according to the city’s Animal Health Department.

Dong Nai Province provides 40 percent of the city’s poultry and Binh Duong provides 28 percent.

The flu has infected and killed 63,000 poultry across 21 provinces as of February 25, according to the Animal Health Department. In the first week of the outbreak on February 18, it spread to 10 provinces.

Dairy farming takes Khmer out of poverty

Lieu Van Do wakes up 5 a.m. daily to milk his seven cows. It takes seven to ten minutes to gather 10 kg of milk per cow where he sells to Evergrowth Co-operative.

The Co-operative works to relieve Khmer families in Soc Trang Province from poverty by providing dairy business clients.  Mr. Do’s family was the first client of the company.  Now there are 30 family farms working with the Co-operative.

“Ten years ago, we had nothing, but now we can be proud of saying that we have changed our life from dairy farming,” said Mr. Do, 45. “Rice price is not stable, breeding dairy cattles is the best way to earn money.”

A liter of milk will produce 12.5 VND/liter, same as a hectare of rice.  A cow will produce 12 liters per day.

After 10 years of business, Mr. Do’s farm now has 34 dairy cows.  With the substantial income, he built a home worth VND 45 million and bought three motorbikes for his family.

The income of a dairy household can reach VND 45 to 48 million per month, said Director of Evergrowth Tran Hoang.  This means a family can earn VND 20 to 30 million for a year.

“The families strive to breed dairy cows.  I highly appreciate the efforts of the community and the unity in work ethics,” said Nguyen Nam Thanh, Vice Director of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Tang Province.

Evergrowth will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year.  The company now has 3,957 cows, eight times the amount they started with.  It has 1,692 employees, with 90 percent Khmer.  Milk production has skyrocketed from 150 kg per day to 16,000 kg per day. Profit has also increased from VND 500 million to VND 16 billion since the start of the company.

The company been listed as top dairy cattle co-operative in the Mekong Delta by The people’s Committee of Soc Trang. Because of this, Soc Trang is now famous for dairy in the Mekong Delta.

“Evergrowth is an outstanding co-operative and leader in breeding dairy cattle in the Soc Trang Province.  Its stability is due to a great breeding and care.  This is a great model for the future,” said Le Thanh Tri, Vice Chairman of Soc Trang People’s Committee.

Bao Viet to pay VND6 bil. for wool warehouse fire

Bao Viet Insurance Corporation estimates it will pay out VND6 billion to Ha Dong Wool Company after a fire destroyed the warehouse complex no. 1 of the enterprise one week ago.

According to Bao Viet, the insurer clinched an insurance contract with the wool company effective from September 10, 2013 to September 9 this year, of which the workshop section had the total liability limit of over VND21 billion.

The fire-hit warehouse area was built in 1987 and upgraded in 2003 and 2011. Bao Viet given an initial calculation has plans to compensate around VND6 billion for the damage.

The warehouse covers a total area of 5,000 square meters, including 13 small storehouses leased by other enterprises to stock home appliances, stationery, machines, confectionery and bricks.

The case is now under investigation. The insurer has also cooperated with law enforcement officers to update information and make the insurance payment.

In a related development, Bao Viet has also taken responsibility for the coach explosion in Nghe An Province on February 17, which killed two people and injured several others.

Company fined for illegal dredging

The People's Committee of the central province of Quang Binh has imposed the maximum fine of VND440 million (US$23,680) on a local company found dredging river sand.

According to Le Minh Ngan, head of the province's department of environment and natural resources, Duc Toan Co Ltd in Tuyen Hoa District was fined for a number of violations including mining without approval and at an excessive capacity.

The company's mining license has also been suspended until August 11 this year.

The license will be revoked completely if the company fails to meet its obligations under the penalty.

Drug traffickers caught in Hai Phong

The police from the waterway and drug departments, in co-ordination with the local police in the northern port city of Hai Phong, arrested two persons last night for drug trafficking.

One kilogramme of methamphetamine was seized from them.

Nguyen Van Son, 52, and Le Thanh Thuy, 30, were caught red-handed at the foot of the Lac Long Bridge in Hai Phong City's Hong Bang District, when they were transporting the drugs from China via the Quang Ninh seaway.

The suspects admitted that they had planned to sell the drugs in Ha Noi. The police are investigating the case further.

Vietnamese students honoured in Australia

Eleven Vietnamese students were formally presented a – Certificate for Outstanding International Student - for exemplary academic achievement in 2013 at a February 25 ceremony in New South Wales.

Last year, the Vietnamese students actively contributed to schools in New South Wales by achieving high marks and engaging in charitable activities at the community level.

Vi Quoc Tung (born in 1995 from Hai Phong city), a Vietnamese student attending Moorebank high school, said he was proud when he was selected among the most outstanding international students in New South Wales.

Tung said that an ever-increasing number of Vietnamese students are receiving honours thanks to their good academic achievements and involvement in extra curricular social activities.

He won first prizes at Moorebank’s three consecutive math contests at Moorebank. In addition, he also actively participated in voluntary activities for Australia’s cancer research fund.

After graduating from high school, he has ambitious plans to continue his education at the University of Sydney where he will study information technology.

The current number of Vietnamese students studying in Australia is estimated at least 22,000.

Bridge collapse prompts inspections

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked for prompt inspections of all weak or old suspension bridges nationwide, especially those in remote and mountainous areas.

The call was made at an online conference to review traffic safety held in Ha Noi yesterday following the tragic bridge collapse that left eight dead and nearly 40 injured in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau on Monday.

Two helicopters carrying surgical teams from the capital's Viet-Duc (Viet Nam-Germany) and Bach Mai hospitals landed in the province yesterday morning to help treat the victims in local hospitals.

Overloading has been blamed for the collapse of the 54 metre-long bridge, which had been in use for 14 months with a capacity of supporting 1.5 tonne vehicles.

Phuc, who is also Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, stressed that the accident was a serious lesson for the transport sector.

"Weak suspension bridges pose direct threats and the transport sector must take full responsibility," he stressed.

Phuc also asked for transport businesses to be monitored to prevent traffic accidents following several serious cases involving inter-provincial coaches and overloaded trucks and container vehicles in recent weeks.

"Authorities must also work closely to stop drink and drug driving and punish violators with heavy fines or by permanently revoking their driving licenses," he said

On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent an official message to the People's Committee of Lai Chau Province and the Ministry of Transport regarding the incident.

In the message, the PM asked the provincial authority to send condolences and support to the families of those who died and were injured in the accident. He also called on the Ministry of Transport to inspect bridges nationwide to prevent similar incidents.

April 21 to be “Vietnam Book Day”

“Vietnam Book Day” will be celebrated on April 21 every year from this year on, as a way to honour the value of books as well as their role and importance in social life.

According to a decision issued by the Prime Minister on February 25, the annual event aims to encourage and develop reading in the community, while raising the public’s awareness of the significance of books as not only a source of knowledge but as a way to develop one’s thought and personality.

The event is also a chance to appreciate the efforts of those who are involved in book publicising such as book collectors, writers, publishers and distributors, it said.

The day will contribute to raising the responsibility of ministries, sectors and social organisations towards the building and promotion of the reading culture in Vietnam, said the decision.

The Prime Minister also assigned the Minister of Information and Communications in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the local authorities of cities and provinces nationwide to carry out the event in a practical and effective manner.

Bird flu hits 21 provinces nationwide

Bird flu has struck 21 provinces and cities across the country with around 64,000 infected chickens culled, according to the latest statistics from the Animal Health Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Notably, the number of birds killed in the central province of Khanh Hoa and the northwestern province of Lao Cai numbered almost 20,000, heard members from the National Steering Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and Control at a meeting in Hanoi on February 25.

The outbreak was attributed to the complicated weather in the first two months of the year, and the increase in shipping and trading of poultry during the recently-ended Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Should localities fail to intensify scrutiny and take swift measures, bird flu could develop into an epidemic, warned Deputy Head of the department Dam Xuan Thanh.

Participants agreed that all localities where the disease has reoccurred or has yet to be detected should focus on implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision 2088 on preventing the illegal import and trading of poultry.

Local authorities also need to tighten inspections at border gates and take prompt preventive measures against the bird flu virus and human-transmission strains such as H5N1 and H7N9.

The same day, officials from Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces gathered at a meeting in the city to thrash out measures against the outbreak of bird flu.

With a population of around 10 million, Ho Chi Minh City consumes a large amount of poultry on a daily basis, with many brought in from other localities.

The city has signed cooperation agreements with the localities Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Long An and Tien Giang in monitoring and preventing epidemic diseases, and managing food safety.

HCM City and provinces ramp up efforts to contain bird flu

HCM City and seven southern provinces yesterday agreed to improve co-operation to prevent and control the spread of avian flu as well as to ensure that all poultry products transported to HCM City for consumption, are safe.

The seven provinces are Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Long An, Tien Giang, Tay Ninh, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. They are the main suppliers of poultry meat and eggs to HCM City.

Speaking at the meeting organised in HCM City yesterday, Phan Xuan Thao, head of the HCM City Veterinary Sub-department, said "the city will increase tests on samples of poultry transported to HCM City for consumption, especially in high risk areas."

"If the tests are positive for bird flu, we will inform the provincial veterinary sub-department," Thao said.

In addition, he asked provinces to increase testing of poultry samples from the breeding phase through to transporting and slaughtering, to ensure a safe supply of poultry products.

The department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, said many poultry traders are transporting their livestock on the HCM –Trung Luong and HCM –Long Thanh-Dau Giay express-way, to avoid going through animal quarantine stations on the old roads, making it hard for localities to track them.

HCM City and the surrounding provinces should have the measures to check poultry at gateways to HCM City, they said.

Nguyen Phuoc Trung, director of the HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the department needed the co-operation of road traffic police to help it conduct animal quarantine at gateways to the city.

Participants at the meeting agreed to enhance information exchange between the city and provinces, as well as between provinces, to enable the prevention and control of the disease more effectively.

Mai Van Hiep, deputy head of the Veterinary Department, said that so far the H5N1 bird flu had spread to 20 provinces with more than 60,000 poultry incinerated.

Cold weather, lack of vaccination against the disease at many localities, as well as apathy about the disease among the relevant local agencies and breeders, were among the main reasons leading to the spread of the disease, he said.

In addition, development of a new bird flu strain also reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine, he said.

He suggested provinces that are now free from the disease, buy vaccines to inject their poultry.

Information on how to deal with infected poultry was also needed to prevent breeders from throwing dead poultry into river, he said.

If localities did not have effective control measures, the disease might spread to all provinces, he said.

HCM City to launch admin centre design comp

HCM City administration has announced that it will launch a contest to design the city's new administrative centre in the city centre. The winner will receive a prize of VND300 million (US$14,226).

The city will spend some VND1.2 billion ($56,904) on contest expenses, according to the city's people's committee.

The central administrative centre is expected to be constructed in the downtown area surrounded by Le Thanh Ton, Pasteur, Ly Tu Trong and Dong Khoi streets in District 1.

Candidates must have knowledge in architecture and are supposed to have a good sense of conservation, according to the organiser.

In addition, the candidates must be recommended by the Architecture Research Centre under the HCM City's Department of Planning and Architecture.

The contest consists of a preliminary round in which the panel of judges will choose seven to nine of the best contestants to go to the final round. The best design will be assessed and selected by the panel of judges in the final round.

The best design will also be reviewed by the panel of judges for improvement, if any, before being approved by the city administration.

The first prize is VND300 million (US$14,226) and the winning design will be copyright protected. The winner will be eligible to make more designs for the administrative centre under contract.

The second prize is worth VND150 million ($7,113), third prize VND100 million ($4,742), and the consolation prize VND50 million ($2,371).

The organiser will also provide financial support for every candidate who fails to win any prizes.

Earlier, the HCM City People's Committee instructed the relevant agencies to complete the planning for building the city's new administrative centre in District 1.

The new centre will be located on an 18,000 square metre plot of land.

The centre is expected to be completed by 2020 and will be the workplace for the people's committee and some departments, including departments of Transport and Natural Resources and Environment.

The existing headquarters of the HCM City People's Committee and several old buildings that have architectural value on the land will be carefully preserved, while other buildings will be demolished for the construction of the new administrative centre. The main entrance is to be on Le Thanh Ton Street.

Ha Noi opens newborn-screening centre

A prenatal and newborn-screening centre has been put into operation at the Ha Noi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital with the aim of reducing the number of babies born with congenital defects.

The centre, built at a cost of VND74 billion (US$3.48 million), is part of the city's project to detect congenital disorders early through prenatal and baby screenings, running from 2011 to 2015.

It was upgraded from a specialised ward and boasts additional staff, infrastructure and modern equipment.

More than 6,000 pregnant women have received ultrasound scans at the ward in its seven years of operation, and over 50,000 newborn babies have been screened for hearing and heart diseases.

According to the General Office for Population and Family Planning, more than 87,000 babies are born with congenital conditions in Viet Nam each year.

HCM City enterprises need 20,000 labourers in March

Enterprises in Ho Chi Minh city expect to recruit 20,000 employees in March, 30 percent of whom will be unskilled workers, 40 percent intermediate standard workers, and 30 percent university graduates and postgraduates.

According to Tran Anh Tuan, deputy director of the city's Centre for Human Resource Forecasts and Labour Information, surveys on 1,016 enterprises in need of recruiting employees showed that the city labour supply-demand market in March will focus on recruiting trained workers.

Moreover, a greater number of labourers will be employed in the business – sales, information and technology, services, textile and garment, leather shoes, customer service, mechanics and automation sectors.

Tuan stressed the recruitment of experienced and trained workers in the leather sector, as since the beginning of the year, enterprises have inked a variety of new contracts.

However, Nguyen Thanh Tung, director of the centre on job introduction to export processing and industrial zones, said that among 270,000 labourers working in export processing and industrial zones, 70-80 percent satisfied recruiters’ demand in terms of qualifications.

Mekong Delta creative in building new-style rural areas

Many localities in the Mekong Delta region have devised inventive measures to summon various resources for building new-style rural areas, according to a report revealed on February 25.

The National Steering Committee for the National Target Programme on Building New-Style Rural Areas organised a conference in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang to review three years of the programme’s implementation in the region.

The report by the programme’s central coordination office shows that as many as 1,269 communes in the region have joined the programme in the past three years.

During the period, the localities have called for support from collectives and individuals to build fundamental infrastructure facilities, especially roads and irrigation works, to improve living conditions for rural residents.

Notably, Ca Mau province has constructed 1,588 bridges, while Hau Giang has mobilised over 1.2 trillion VND (57.1 million USD) for building roads.

As of the end of 2013, on average the regional communes fulfilled nine out of 19 criteria for new-style rural areas, three criteria more than the figure in 2011.

Eighteen communes have satisfied all 19 standards, most of them in Long An, Tra Vinh and Hau Giang provinces, the report says.

It adds that after three years, the programme has improved local people’s well-being with a 10 percent increase in per capita income and a three percent decrease in the household poverty rate.

By 2015, the regional provinces will upgrade 85 percent of inter-communal roads to meet the Transport Ministry’s standards, and 40 percent of irrigation works to fully satisfy production and daily demand for water.

Building infrastructure, improving production capacity, building public works, protecting the landscape and environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities are among the criteria on building new-style rural areas initiated by the Government in 2010.

The Mekong Delta region comprises of 12 provinces - An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long - and Can Tho city.-

Better polices needed to end sex trade

Better policies and more awareness campaigns on the sex trade crackdown are needed, said the participants of a seminar in the northern province of Quang Ninh on February 25.

Prostitution in Vietnam has been getting more sophisticated, with some marketing themselves both at home and abroad on the Internet. The number of sex workers in the country is estimated to be 32,700, up 9.3 percent from 2012, largely in the Red River and Mekong Deltas, the north central and south-eastern regions.

Some suggested revoking the licences of karaoke or lodging facilities that involve in sex trade.

They also called for the involvement of non-governmental and other social organisations along the way, making it easier for prostitutes to integrate back into the community after their rehabilitation.

For the past time, pilot models to help sex workers better access social services have proved successful and inter-sectoral coordination in the fight has been reinforced.

The event was hosted by the National Committee on AIDS Prevention, Drug and Prostitution Control.-

Prevention of asbestos-related diseases discussed

The Health Environment Management Agency (HEMA), under the Ministry of Health, held a conference in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to discuss the prevention of asbestos-related diseases on February 25 in Hanoi.

Asbestos is one of the elements in the inorganic toxic dust workers are exposed to in the manufacturing process, according to the WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

It causes respiratory problems, silicosis disease, pleural thickening and cancer.

WHO policy has encouraged countries to gradually eliminate asbestos and use substitutes. As a result, over 40 countries worldwide have put asbestos on the list of banned substances for use or trade, such as Japan, Sweden and Finland.

Vietnam is one of ten countries in the world using the largest amount of asbestos, with 11,000 employees at a high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.

The prevention of occupational diseases related to asbestos has been difficult due to its long incubation period, up to 20-30 years, as well as lack of labour awareness on its harmful effects, and the regulations on labour safety and hygiene in many workplaces.

The ministry has completed a draft on guiding diagnostic criteria and cancers related to asbestos to supplement to the list of occupational diseases receiving insurance.

It has continued to improve the capacity of the health sector on monitoring working environments and managing the health of workers exposed to asbestos, as well as proposing a ban on the use of dangerous substances in the Draft Law of Environmental Protection.

Number of visitors to Con Dao surges after Tet holiday

After the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) operated five or six daily flights on the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao route, said Trinh Thi Phuong, head of the VASCO branch in Con Dao.

Particularly, during the festival that fell in the middle of the first lunar month, even seven flights a day could not meet the travel demand to Con Dao, a renowned tourist site offshore southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Flights to Con Dao were always fully booked and travellers had to book tickets days before the trip, Trinh told Ba Ria-Vung Tau newspaper.

Domestic tourists to Con Dao normally stay one night, in combination with visiting Hang Duong cemetery, Con Dao temple and prisons.

Resorts such as Six Senses Con Dao, Saigon – Con Dao and Con Dao attract a large number of foreign tourists from Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and the Republic of Korea. They often spend 7-10 days on their trips to Con Dao.

Average room occupancy in resorts in Con Dao reached 80-95 percent during the period.

Con Dao Island is an archipelago, 180km off Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Covering 76 square kilometres, the archipelago consists of 16 islands, the largest of which is called Con Son.

One of Vietnam’s tourist hot spots and described as a paradise in many international travel magazines, the pristine nature of Con Dao appeals to visitors with beautiful beaches and pure, blue water.

Apart from its seaside attractions, Con Dao has a national park with rich flora and fauna. It is home to dugongs, dolphins and sea turtles, which are under threat of extinction.

The island also houses a special national relic, the Con Dao Prison, where some 20,000 Vietnamese revolutionaries died during the war against the French colonialists and American invaders.

Built in 1862 by the French colonists, Con Dao Prison was once dubbed the largest "Hell on Earth" in Indochina.

Source: VNA/VOV/VNS