Workplace fatalities on the increase


A lack of health and safety regulations were the main cause of workplace fatalities in 2010.

There were 5,125 workplace accidents resulting in 601 deaths last year, said Bui Hong Linh, deputy minister of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The number of accidents fell compared with 2009, but the death toll rose by 9.27 per cent, Linh said.

Workplace accidents were most common in industrial zones involved in mining, construction, power, metal and chemical production.

According to a ministry report, the largest industrial centre, HCM City, recorded the highest fatality rate last year with 102 deaths, followed by 40 in Quang Ninh Province and 35 in Ha Noi.


Quang Ngai to host 13th NWLSHFP


A press conference on the 13th National Week of Labour Safety and Hygiene - Fire Prevention (NWLSHFP) was held in Hanoi on February 24.  

Photo: VOV
Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and Deputy Head of the Steering Board of the NWLSHFP said that this year’s national week will focus on labour safety which in long term will bring prosperity for every household and sustainable development for businesses.

It is the duties and rights of workers, businesses and the whole society to implement and ensure the labour safety, hygiene and fire prevention as well as actively contribute to the relisation of the National Target on Labour Safety and Hygiene - Fire Prevention in the 2011-2015 period.

There were 5,125 cases of workplace accidents in 2010, a decline of 18 percent over 2009, however, the number of death cases rose from 550 to 601.

According to MoLISA, the highest number of workplace accidents occurred in Ho Chi Minh City, followed by Hanoi and Quang Ninh.

Mining and construction had the highest death toll (122), accounting for 20 percent of the total number of deaths at workplace.


Education key to keeping revolution alive in youth

Education and training would continue to be an important part of transforming the youth of today into a loyal force to carry on the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

This was said by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan at a national conference to review a youth development strategy held at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Ha Noi on Feb 24.

Nhan said relevant agencies should keep abreast of the fast-changing trends and habits of young people in order to develop effective strategies. "For example, the use of the internet and mobile devices to communicate and collect information was becoming increasingly popular," Nhan noted.

In reviewing the development strategy for Vietnamese youth after seven years of implementation, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh said local authorities and sectors leaders were more aware of the importance of integrating development goals for the youth into socio-economic development goals as a whole. However, a lack of co-operation among relevant agencies had led to ineffective operations in some areas, Nhan said.

"The responsibility of each agency is not clearly defined," he added.

Dinh also pointed out several urgent issues that hadn't received adequate attention including unemployment and a high level of illegal activities.

From 2003-08, each year Viet Nam created 1.6 million new jobs, 70 to 72 per cent of which were for young people.


Passengers escape from flaming bus


Forty-five passengers are lucky to be alive after their bus suddenly caught fire on Wednesday morning travelling down Highway 1A in Binh Dinh Province.

Fire fighters, local police, and soldiers from Phu Cat Airport spent an hour to extinguish the blaze.

The bus was travelling from northern Thai Binh Province to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province in the south.


Week of labour, safety, hygiene continues


During the 13th National Week of Labour Safety and Hygiene, fire prevention will be carried out in the central province of Quang Ngai from March 20.

During the week, conferences will also be held about labour safety and a competition will be held to find workers properly observing safety and hygiene rules.

Provincial authorities will also visit victims of labour accidents.

Last year, there were 5,125 reported labour accidents in Viet Nam, a drop of 18 per cent from 2009.


Vietnam's income and housing price index remains high


The income and housing price index in Vietnam is much higher than other nations in the region and the world, according to statistics from the Ministry of Construction.

This is a major reason why almost all workers and civil servants find it difficult to own a house.

The income and housing price index is between 24.5 and 26.6 in Vietnam, 6.25 in South Asia, 4.14 in East Asia, 2.21 in Africa, 6.25 in Europe, the Middle East and North America, and 2.38 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to the United Nations’ calculations, an income and housing price index ranging from 3 to 4 is reasonable for residents.


Deputy PM congratulates health workers on Physicians' Day


Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan congratulated professors and health workers on the occasion of Viet Nam Physicians' Day during visits to Military Hospital 108, Hospital K (cancer) and the Ha Noi Hospital of Lung Disease on Feb 24.

He also took the opportunity to praise health workers nationwide for their efforts to grasp new scientific techniques and their talented, heartfelt endeavours to treat patients.

Viet Nam Physicians' Day falls on February 27 every year.


Honour for 124 top medical workers


The HCM City Department of Health on Tuesday awarded the title "Doctors are like Mothers" to 124 outstanding doctors and medical workers at the Labour Cultural House.

The event was part of dozens of social and cultural activities being held to mark 56 years of the National Physicians' Day on February 27.

"Giving is receiving," said Nguyen Thi Hang, who received the award on Tuesday.

Hang said this was not a philosophical statement but a reflection of her daily life experience.

In her white doctor's blouse, Hang smiled when her patients congratulated her on the National Physicians' Day. "My happiness is bringing good health to the little patients," she said.

After completing her doctorate in medicine at the Army Medical Institute in Ha Noi in 2005, Hang moved to HCM City and worked for the Commune Medical Centre in District 6.

After seven years of working, she now works as the centre's director.

Facing daily challenges and obstacles, Hang has used new methods to improve the centre's treatment services.

She and her staff have worked hard to help poor people, particularly women and children, receive better healthcare.

Like many of her peers, Hang also visits many remote areas to offer free treatment to local residents.

Hang and her colleagues, who come from different hospitals and medical centres across the city, received gifts and flowers as well as the love and respect from their families, friends and patients at the Tuesday event, which was organised by the Department's Labour Union and its partners.

Caregiver Le Thi Ngoc Hanh of Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital, who received an award, said, "The glory and money is nothing. Our work is saving lives."

Hanh, who has more than 20 years of experience, said that it was her love for patients, many of whom suffer from serious diseases, that kept her working.

"Our work is offering not only quality healthcare services but also our sharing and understanding," she said.


VNN/VOV/VNS