Social News 11/10 Project promotes water-electricity saving in Da Nang     A project to reduce greenhouse emissions by encouraging the saving of water and electricity was launched at a workshop in the central city of Da Nang on October 10. The project is part of the UN’s 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Lifestyles and Education.  Atsushi Watabe, a research manager at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies said environmental protection has helped develop tourism, trade and services. The project aims to spread the value of choosing a sustainable lifestyle. According to calculations used for the building of water supply and drainage infrastructure in Vietnam, an urban citizen consumes an average of 120 litres of water per day. This is set to increase to 170-190 litres by 2030, while in advanced countries, average water consumption is falling. Bui Tho Ninh, head of the Da Nang Water Supply JSC, said 91.28 percent of households in the city use water daily, with consumption averaging 136 litres per person per day. Efficient use of resources at treatment units and households is important, he added. Ninh also mentioned measures to save water and highlighted that a sustainable lifestyle must be taught to children from a young age. Truong Sa exhibition tells moving stories An exhibition, featuring memories and facts collected from a journey to Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago last May, began in Hanoi on October 10. On display are more than 70 photos and photo books, which tell stories of 200 people, of whom 70 are Vietnamese expatriates across 22 countries and territories. Entitled “Truong Sa, please come once in your life!”, the exhibition is part of activities marking the 63rd anniversary of the capital’s Liberation Day. It will last until October 20. Family medicine to be piloted in Phú Thọ The Ministry of Health (MoH) collaborated with Phú Thọ Province Department of Health to hold Yên Lập District Medical Centre’s Family Medicine Scheme Accession Ceremony and the signing ceremony of the centre with four central hospitals on Monday. Family medicine is emerging as the major solution to health administration at the local level, according to Phạm Lê Tuấn, Deputy Health Minister. This practice will help improve medical quality and provide people with better services. With the implementation of family medicine at Yên Lập District Medical Centre, experienced doctors from central hospitals will collaborate with local medical staff to enhance chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Nguyễn Trọng Khoa, deputy head of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment under the MoH, stressed the significance of family doctors in providing personal, comprehensive and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and the community. Family medicine’s primary care ethics highlight disease prevention and health promotion based on the knowledge of the patient and his living condition. “Yên Lập District Medical Centre plans to pilot and implement the family medicine model at its medical examination department following the holistic nature of this speciality,” said Khoa. At the ceremony, the four hospitals including Hà Nội Heart Hospital, the National Hospital of Acupuncture, the National Hospital of Endocrine and the National Geriatric Hospital committed to conducting training sessions for local medical staff, send doctors and nurses to 17 ward medical centres in Yên Lập District and admit seriously-ill patients when local facilities are unable to treat them. Hồ Đức Hải, director of Phú Thọ Province Department of Health, said that Yên Lập District was implementing the individual health administration model. The collaboration with central hospitals will create conditions for local medical staff to increase their management capability in controlling non-communicable diseases. The Family Medicine Scheme, after being piloted in Yên Lập District, will be widely launched in other districts of Phú Thọ Province in 2017 and 2018, according to Hải. At present, the first phase of the Family Medicine Scheme between 2013 and 2020 has been operated in eight provinces and cities of Việt Nam. It contributes to providing primary and continuing healthcare for individuals and helps to reduce hospitals’ overcrowding. On the occasion, MoH also opened a training course of common diseases based on family medicine values for local medical staff. Satellite emergency-aid stations in HCM City save lives When an emergency aid station received a call last year about a woman in a life-threatening situation in HCM City, an ambulance was sent to her home where she was assessed by doctors and later taken to a hospital. The 34-year-old woman who was suffering severe pain caused by a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, was immediately taken to an operating room, where doctors performed emergency surgery, Dr Hồ Hải Trường Giang, head of Củ Chi District Hospital, said via email to Việt Nam News. The emergency aid station, which is located at the hospital, is one of 25 that exist in the city. The so-called 115 satellite stations are part of the HCM City Emergency Aid Centre’s network, whose emergency number is 115.  More recently, a 22-year-old victim of a traffic accident was saved by doctors at Củ Chi District Hospital when an emergency aid station’s phone operator received a call from residents who had passed by and noticed the accident. An ambulance, doctor and nurse immediately went to the scene and gave first aid to the victim, who was then taken to the hospital. The emergency aid station at the hospital, which opened in October last year, has received 125 people so far, according to Giang. “The district is large. Putting an emergency aid station in the hospital is vital so we can rapidly assess patients who need emergency aid,” he said. Before the satellite stations opened at local hospitals, ambulances from the Emergency Aid Centre could not reach Củ Chi District and other outlying areas quickly, especially during peak traffic hours. All five outlying districts now have access to emergency aid stations, so they can take advantage of the “golden hour”, the time that may be crucial in saving someone’s life, according to the city’s Department of Health. The latest emergency aid station was set up at Hóc Môn Area General Hospital on October 6 in Hóc Môn District. Dr Tăng Chí Thượng, deputy head of the city’s Health Department, said red alerts and the emergency aid stations in the inner city and outlying hospitals had improved treatment for severely injured accident victims or patients with serious health problems. In the red alert procedure, doctors at city- or central-level hospitals are called to provide technical assistance to doctors at other hospitals. If patients need more treatment, they will be transferred to the city or central-level hospitals. Thượng said the department had asked the Ministry of Education and Training to issue a code for the professional training of paramedics similar to what is used in Australia. Paramedics would provide out-of-hospital treatment by motorbike, bicycle or speedboat. The city is studying the use of such vehicles for out-of-hospital emergency services, according to Thượng. The city also aims to have an intelligent emergency aid system that uses advanced IT. Pregnant women warned to guard against dengue The public, especially pregnant women, should take the initiative to ward off mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and Zika since current weather conditions in many provinces and cities are ideal for mosquitoes to breed, health experts said. Last week HCM City’s Hùng Vương Hospital admitted a 25-year-old woman from the Mekong Delta province of Vĩnh Long who was 38 weeks pregnant and had had fever for nearly two days. She had signs of sepsis caused by dengue fever and tests showed that her platelet count had fallen and lungs were inflamed, doctors said. They gave her antibiotics but after five-day treatment her health worsened. The foetal heartbeat was too weak and they decided to perform a C-section to save mother and child, they said. Dr Nguyễn Đăng Quang, head of the hospital’s emergency aid department, said she was given platelets and plasma to prevent haemorrhages and enable blood to clot. Now, four days after the surgery last Friday, the woman and her newborn son have recovered.   But unlike her, a 26-year-old woman in Hà Nội suffered a miscarriage due to complications caused by dengue fever. Four weeks pregnant, she had contracted dengue. After she showed symptoms of the disease for two days she was brought to Bạch Mai Hospital for treatment, but doctors could not save the foetus. The hospital’s infectious diseases department reported that as of mid-August pregnant women accounted for 15-20 per cent of its dengue patients. Dr Đỗ Duy Cường, its head, told the Việt Nam Government portal (chinhphu.vn) that if pregnant women show any symptoms of dengue such as fever and severe headache they should be admitted to hospital because what happens subsequently could not be forecast. At hospitals, they and their unborn child would be regularly monitored and doctors could find out if they were going to miscarry or deliver prematurely, he said. He said people including pregnant women should take preventive measures such as wearing clothes covering their arms and legs and sleep inside mosquito nets. According to the Centre for Disease Control, they should use mosquito repellents with up to 50% DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus during pregnancy. According to Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy head of the HCM City Department of Health, there is no vaccine yet against dengue and the best method is to prevent mosquitoes and larvae from breeding by clearing water containers and keeping the environment clean. In HCM City alone 16,030 cases of dengue have been reported this year, an increase of 18 per cent compared to last year, according to the city Preventive Health Centre. There have also been 21 Zika patients compared to just one last year. Winners of Vietnam Women Award 2017 announced Eight collectives and ten individuals will be honoured at the Vietnam Women Awards 2017, recognising the talent, creativity and contributions of women in all fields of life. According to Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyet, the awards ceremony will be held in Hanoi on October 17. The collectives to be honoured include women teams of the Emergency Department of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School, Thai Hung JSC, and the Women’s Union of Ba Che district of Quang Ninh province. The 10 outstanding individuals include Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thi Ha from the Naval Technical Institute, Do Thuy Ha from Hanoi Blind Association, Nguyen Thi Hue from a lemon growing cooperative in Can Tho city, Nguyen Thi Lieu from Duc Tri junior high school, and Nguyen Ngoc Mai, a worker of Vincem Hoang Thach cement company. This year, the awards are themed “Women engage in natural disasters mitigation and seedless climate change response”, aiming to highlight women’s ideas in the field and to boost awareness of women’s contributions to the work. As part of the awards, a Women’s Innovation Day will be held with various activities, including an exhibition of creative products made by women, a forum on the role of women in reducing disaster risks and responding climate change, and an awards ceremony for outstanding products. On the occasion, the Vietnam Women’s Union will also present insignia “For the Progress of Vietnamese Women” to Han Mi Young, President of the World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association. Since being established 2002, the Vietnam Women Awards have honoured 69 outstanding teams and 124 individuals. Two border guards missing in flood that hit Thanh Hoa province Two border guards were swept away by flood and went missing on October 10 when they drove across a spillway of Bon stream in Lang Chang district, ThanhHoa province, said local officials. According to Lang Chang district People’s Committee, the two officials of Yen Khuong Border Post were on the way to help people in Yen Khuong commune combat the flash floods. Upon hearing the news, local authorities mobilized 150 soldiers and staff members and more than 200 local people to search for the two missing border guards. Ammonia gas leak leaves four injured, thousands panicked in Saigon Four people were hospitalized on October 10 in the wake of an ammonia gas leak that also killed scores of livestock and poultry in the outskirts of Saigon. When the accident happened, local spotted white smoke and an unpleasant smell coming from a gas extraction station on An Phu Tay Street in Binh Chanh District before seeing many workers running out, struggling to breathe and even vomiting blood. The gas killed many plants, pets, livestock and poultry nearby and prompted a mass evacuation of more than 1,000 students and locals. According to eyewitnesses, the pipe broke as workers were extracting the gas from a truck at the station, causing the leak. The four victims included a passer-by, the truck driver and two workers. They are now in stable condition. Halloween party to brighten resort A Halloween-theme pool party will held in the former French village’s La Piscine pool area at the mountain resort of Bà Nà Hills in Đà Nẵng on October 27, offering DJ performances, a street food fair, talent show and games and outdoor bar. Organisers said visitors would  enjoy a creepy but fantastic night of electronic dance music 1,471m above sea level from 7pm. Tourists will also be able to tour a valley of flowers in the D’Amour garden on the funicular route – the first and the only one of its kind in Việt Nam – the French colonial style Debay wine cellar, the temple complex Goddess of the Forest, Linh Ứng Pagoda and the nine-storey Linh Phong tower with its four-tonne bronze bell tower. The resort’s third cable car route was listed as 10 of the world’s most amazing by CNN in 2013. Cai Lay tollgate resumes fee collection later this month Toll collection will resume at the controversial tollgate in Cai Lay town in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang later this month after the Ministry of Transport and National Highway 1 Tien Giang Investment Co Ltd last Friday agreed to lower fees there, according to Tien Phong newspaper. The new toll range is down from VND35,000-180,000 to VND25,000-140,000. In specifics, the charge on autos with less than 12 seats and trucks of less than two tons will be charged VND25,000 per trip, down by VND10,000, and trucks of more than 18 tons or carrying a 40-foot container will pay VND140,000 per trip, down from the current VND180,000. Auto owners who reside in My Thanh Nam, Binh Phu, Phu An and Phu Nhuan communes in Cai Lay District will be exempt from the road toll. And those running cargo transport and bus services will get a 50% reduction. National Highway 1 Tien Giang Investment Co Ltd built a 12-kilometer National Highway 1 bypass in Cai Lay town and re-asphalted a 26.5-kilometer section of National Highway 1 in the province. But the firm set up a tollgate on National Highway 1 to collect toll fees from those using the bypass, so many drivers who did not use the bypass were still forced to pay the fee, leading to protests which paralyzed traffic on the national highway. Drivers reasoned the investor just had the right to collect fees from vehicles using the new bypass. Protesting drivers used stacks of banknotes of small denomination to pay toll fees at the Cai Lay toll station, leading to traffic congestion in the area. Therefore, the tollgate has halted its operation since August 15. PM directs to cope with floods, ensure safety for dykes The PM has issued a telegraph asking ministries and localities to launch urgent measures to cope with floods and ensure safety for dams.  To limit damage to human lives and assets, the PM has asked the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Viet Nam National Committee of Search and Rescue, relevant ministries and agencies and localities to actively realize urgent measures to cope with floods.  Accordingly, the provincial and city People’s Committees continue to inspect, review and evacuate local people from dangerous areas, get access to residential areas isolated due to floods and take measures to protect dykes and dams.  Localities along the Red River, especially provinces and cities near the Hoa Binh hydropower plant need to closely follow the developments in heavy rains and floods as well as the operation of floodgates of the plant's reservoir and promptly keep local people updated. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development directs functional agencies and localities to launch measures to protect dykes, safely operate dykes and irrigation projects, reduce damage to agricultural and aquaculture production, especially activities on the riverside area of the Red River.  The Ministry of Industry and Trade guides the Electricity of Viet Nam and management boards of power plants to take measures to ensure safety for hydroelectric plants.  Yamanashi Prefecture seeks partnerships in HCM City Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture, which hosts popular tourism sites and diverse agribusiness, wants to connect with potential partners in Ho Chi Minh City for mutual benefit and development, said Governor Goto Hitoshi. The official made the remark at a meeting with Standing Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem on October 11. Agreeing with his guest, Liem suggested both sides join hands in building specific cooperation programmes in tourism and agriculture to increase exchanges of tourists and signature commodities between the two markets. He briefed the guest on the city’s social-economic growth and its various deals with different Japanese localities. Both host and guest shared a hope for stronger cooperation and exchanges between HCM City and Yamanashi in contribution to Vietnam – Japan relations.  Yamanashi Prefecture lies in central Japan and is home to the famous Mount Fuji. Work starts on modern cancer hospital in Can Tho Work started on the construction of a 500-bed cancer hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on October 11. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Szilveszter Bus, Deputy State Secretary of Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Can Tho oncology hospital will include four buildings with a total floor area of 44,575 square metres on Nguyen Van Cu street, An Binh ward, Ninh Kieu district. The project has a total investment of 1,727 billion VND (70.5 EUR), of which 56.9 million EUR comes from the Hungarian government’s official development assistance. Addressing the event, the Hungarian Deputy State Secretary said Hungary is willing to provide training and transfer technology in the field for staff of the hospital, he pledged. Vo Thanh Thong, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, highlighted the Government’s effort in improving the people’s health care and protection. VNN