SOCIETY IN BRIEF 9/1

Hi-tech hotel-hospital opens in capital

Well-off patients will have greater examination and treatment options at the newly opened VINMEC international general hospital at the Times City Urban Complex at 458 Minh Khai Street in Ha Noi. The VINGROUP-invested facility will be first hospital in Viet Nam to operate on a hotel-hospital model, providing patients with comfortable living conditions.

Photo: VNN

In honour of the hospital's opening, VINGROUP's Kind Heart Fund donated VND50 billion (US$2.4million) to help the Ministry of Health expand the Oncology Centre of Bach Mai Hospital and build 10 health clinics in remote and isolated areas.

Dr. McKinnon performed 3rd surgery in Vietnam

American plastic surgeon McKay McKinnon performed a surgery on Thach Thi Sanh Ly, whose whole body is covered in tumors at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh on Saturday.

Ly, 35 from Tran De, Soc Trang suffers from neurofibromatosis, the same disease with Duy Hai and My Dung’s, two patients whose operations were carried out by the American doctor on Thursday and Friday.

After Hai and Dung, Ly’s surgery which was led by McKinnon with a team of more than 20 doctors from Cho Ray was considered an initial success.

Unlike the large size tumor that both Hai and Dung had, Ly had a countless number of tumors of different sizes covering her from head to toe, a case that was rarely seen even to Dr. McKinnon and other experts at Cho Ray.

After the 6-hour ordeal, a total of 3 kilogram of tumors was removed from the patient.

Doctor Le Hanh, a member of the surgical team said all of Ly’s tumors could not be taken out in only one operation, and the team managed to remove Ly’s biggest tumors or ones that grew in her back, buttocks, hands and faces.

After removing them of her face, the team used skin from her inner thighs and leg where there were less tumors to replace her facial skin.

Cho Ray Hospital will carry out a knee operation so that the patient could walk again, the doctor said, as more than ten years of lying in a curling up position has stiffened her knee joints. The y will also take out the rest of her tumors, he added.

Thach Thi Sa Phai, Ly’s mother said she was born with a tumor in her back and more of which appeared and kept growing on her body later on.

When she was 5, they brought her to a provincial hospital but it said it was unable to treat her. The family gave up their hope then as they were too poor to afford bringing her to other places for treatment.

For 15 years now, Ly was confined in her bed, and no one, except for her family members dared to look at her, the mother said.

Poor children to be given heart surgery

Thirty-seven underprivileged children with congenital heart defects will undergo cardiac surgery with the support of Heartbeat Viet Nam, a charity programme of the VinaCapital Foundation. The Viet Nam Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Vina Dai Phuoc Joint Stock Co on Thursday donated US$25,000 and US$12,000, respectively, to the programme, which has has so far provided free operations for nearly 2,700 children.

"There are over 30,000 suffering from heart disease who need cardiac surgery that will give them the chance at a normal life," said Heartbeat Viet Nam.

Woman arrested for abusing home help

The Hanoi police arrested Tran Thi Tuyet Minh on Sat, Jan 7, from Ba Dinh District for beating her 59-year-old domestic help, forcing her to eat excrement, and pouring hot water on her private part.

Minh is charged with humiliating others and intentional assault and will be detained for 3 months pending trial, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trong Thai, deputy head of the district police.

The police also searched Minh’s house, at 95 Kim Ma Street, yesterday.

The victim, Pham Thi Phuong, who suffered 2nd degree burns on her abdomen, back and private part, is being treated at Van Dinh General Hospital, Thai said.

During questioning, Minh admitted guilty but explained that she used hot water to make Phuong clean because Phuong’s body was filthy.

Minh also said she forced Phuong to eat excrement because Phuong often ate on the sly.

Minh admitted that she had sent text messages to warn Phuong not to report to the police about the abuse.

Phuong reported to the police after her mistress poured hot water on her private part in late December and discharged her on January 5, despite the serious burns she was suffering.

Phuong said she had worked for Minh’s family since mid September and because of her old age, she could not work as quick as required by her mistress who thus often cursed and beat her.

The mistress also often deprived Phuong of food and forced her to eat chilies instead, Phuong said.
Minh even ordered her to eat the excrement that M’s grandchildren had defecated on a napkin.

Minh has not paid Phuong for the past 4 months since she thought Phuong had stolen VND5 million from her.

Before discharging Phuong on January 5, Minh gave Phuong VND1 million (US$47.5) but forced Phuong to write a statement admitting that she had stolen VND5 million.

Minh also warned Phuong not to tell anybody why she was burnt.

Police in Mong Cai Town, Quang Ninh Province yesterday, Jan 8, arrested two men for throwing a hand-grenade towards a police team, injuring a major and five local residents.

Nguyen Van Thang and Tran Phuoc Hung, both 21 and residing in the town, have been detained for allegedly committing an intended act of murder, police said.

On the evening of January 7, Hung and Thang went to a karaoke shop owned by Nguyen Thanh Binh, 52, in Hai Hoa Ward and asked the owner to provide them with some female attendants.

When Binh refused their demand, the two young men swore heavily at him and left. They later came back with a hand-grenade, and continued to ask Binh for girls.

Binh’s family called local police and when a police team came, Hung undid the safety pin of the grenade and threw it towards the squad.

The grenade exploded, injuring Major Nguyen Van Bien and five other local residents.

The other officers of the team seized Hung and Thang immediately and took the victims to hospital for emergency treatment.

On searching Hung's house, the police seized three explosive items and four bullets.

The police are continuing their investigation to identify the origin of the weapons.

Gang suspected to have exploded police’s house

Colonel Nguyen Nhu Tuan, director of Thai Nguyen Province’s Police Department, suspected an underground gang was the culprit of the explosion that occurred in his house yesterday, Jan 8.

The official, who was appointed to the post a few months ago, said the blast might have been caused by some criminal group to revenge his strong measures to crack down on crimes, including drug use and trafficking, prostitution, robberies, and illegal motorbike racing.

Duong Ngoc Long, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, had the same suspicion. Long said the provincial police had boosted their efforts to eliminate crimes in the past several months.

Particularly, in late 2011 the police busted an inter-provincial gambling gang that had operated on a large scale in Thai Nguyen and Hai Phong City.

Tuan said the province had reported this serious case to the Government and ordered local security forces to strengthen their protection of the houses of high-ranking officials. He said the Ministry of Public Security had also launched an investigation into the case.

As reported, the blast at Tuan’s house occurred at 2 am on Saturday at 191 Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, destroying part of the house and two other houses on its left and right. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Many glass windows, advertising panels, and plastic eaves of nearby houses were also damaged.

By yesterday evening, the provincial police and investigators from the ministry completed their examination of the scene and concluded that the blast had been caused by explosives, Colonel Ho Si Tien, head of the ministry’s Social Crime Investigation Police Department said.

Tien however didn’t reveal the particulars such as the type and weight of the explosives. The police are further investigating.

Police seized couple trafficking women to Malaysia

Police in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday, Jan 8, arrested a couple who had conned at least 7 Vietnamese girls and sold them to a hotel in Malaysia for prostitution.

Vo Thi Thanh Thuy, 29, of Binh Chanh District, and her de facto husband, Ngo Trong Hieu, also 29, of District 8, were arrested Friday when they were taking VND45 million (US$2,140) of ransom money from the relative of a girl who had been sold to Malaysia, the social crime investigation police reported.

Having worked as a masseuse at the Star Robin Spa in Malaysia from March 2011 until September 2011, when Thuy returned to Vietnam, she began to lure Vietnamese girls to travel to Malaysia and then sold them into prostitution there, VietNamNet quoted the police as saying.

Thuy confessed that she and Hieu had told their victims they could help them get well-paid jobs in Malaysia only to sell them to brothels after they arrived in the country.

The couple said they had so far sold 7 Vietnamese girls to Malaysia and the police are continuing their investigation.

In mid December 2011, Thuy lied to N.T.H, 24, a native of Quang Binh Province, and Đ.T.K.L, 28, from Can Tho City, that her relatives in Malaysia could get them jobs at a supermarket with a salary of US$1,000 per month, the police said.

After the girls agreed, Thuy and Hieu spent VND20 million on expenses for each of them to go to Malaysia. She also paid their families VND6 million each.

When the two girls arrived in Malaysia, they were picked up by some people who immediately sold them to the Star Ronbin Spa Hotel, where they were forced to work as prostitutes.

Every day, each of them served about 10 men at a price of 200 Ringit, 60 Ringit of which was given to the girl, another 60 was paid to Thuy as commission and the rest handed over to the manager of prostitutes at the hotel.

After many days of suffering, the two girls managed to phone their parents and inform them about their situation.

When the parents asked Thuy to let their daughters return to Vietnam, she demanded VND45 million for the release of each girl.

In mid-December, the father of H reported to police that Thuy had sold his daughter to Malaysia and asked him to pay VND45 million as a ransom and VND6 million as airfare for the girl to fly back to Vietnam.

He had paid Thuy VND6 million.

Following the police instructions, the man made an appointment with Thuy to give her VND45 million and then reported the meeting place and time to the police.

The police said they have so far rescued H, L and two other girls that Thuy and Hieu had sold to Malaysia, VietNamNet reported, and are planning further rescue for others.

VNN/VNS/Tuoi Tre