HCM City: community-based drug detoxification model effective

The model of detoxification for drug addicts in family and community has proved to be effective after one year of implementation in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs reported on October 14. 

Currently, the city has nearly 12,000 drug addicts with stable residence, 2,277 of whom are engaging in the model, including 905 people voluntarily taking detoxification treatment in their family, according to the department. 

The city has set up 52 consultation posts in 16 out of its 24 districts, which have given advice to more than 4,580 drug addicts. 

Localities across the city reported they have received back 3,750 former addicts, and helped 2,430 of them find jobs with stable income. 

However, localities also pointed to a number of difficulties during the implementation of the model, including lack of cooperation from addicts’ families and a high risk of relapsing. 

Tran Ngoc Du from the Sub-Department for Social Evil Prevention, added that most localities do not yet to have standardized facilities to treat withdrawal symptoms. 

In the coming time, the city plans to diversify communications on drug detoxification while working with districts to maintain and expand the consultation posts in major hot spots, he said.

HCM City keen to learn from Japan’s environment protection experience

Ho Chi Minh City wants to learn from Japan’s experience in addressing environmental pollution in urban areas, according to a Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.

At his meeting with Vice President of the International Friendship Exchange Council of Japan (FEC) Nakagaki Yoshihiko on October 14, Vice Chairman Tran Vinh Tuyen said HCM City is bearing a lot of pressures from arising issues in urban development such as urban environment and order, as well as impacts of climate change.

The city hopes to enhance cooperation with Japanese localities and businesses in building a smart city and solving environmental issues in a sustainable manner, especially increasing capacity in forecasting and preventing natural disasters, and applying new technologies in waste treatment.

Nakagaki Yoshihiko said FEC and Japanese firms are willing to cooperate and share experience with HCM City in implementing socio-economic development programmes and improving the quality of life for local people.

He noted that climate change is posing challenges for the globe, with HCM City bearing its direct brunt such as drought, flood and saltwater intrusion.

He suggested the city build a long-term and scientific plan, focusing on coordination between authorities at central and municipal levels and businesses, including foreign ones.

Seminar discusses EVFTA’s impacts on labour sector

A seminar was held in Hanoi on October 14 to discuss the impacts of labour commitments that Vietnam has made in the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA)’s sustainable development programme. 

The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the European Trade Policy and Investment Support Policy (EU-MUTRAP). 

Participants assessed commitment impacts on social and labour sectors, Vietnam’s proposed law amendments to match with the EVFTA, and labour inspection on law abidance among businesses. 

According to the MoLISA’s Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, Vietnam is forecast to generate extra 7.5 million jobs by 2025, or 83,000 each year. 

Once Vietnam joins the EVFTA, the rate of workers in the mining and garment sector is predicted to increase 3.41 percent and 1.53 percent, respectively, on a yearly basis. 

Other sectors will expect annual workforce rises, including maritime transport (3.7 percent), and metal manufacturing (2.65 percent). 

Between 2020 and 2035, low-skilled workers will enjoy the highest increase in salary, according to the World Bank. 

As scheduled, the revised Labour Code will be submitted to the 14 th National Assembly for consideration at the third session and for adoption at the fourth session in October 2017. 

The EVFTA, which is expected to be signed this year and take effect in 2018, is a new-generation free trade deal between Vietnam and 28 EU member states. Together with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the EVFTA represents Vietnam’s broadest and highest commitments so far.

Free breast cancer screening campaign targets 10,000 women

The Ministry of Health and the Supporting Fund for Cancer Patients – Bright Future on October 14 jointly launched a campaign to give free breast cancer screening for 10,000 women from 40 years old nationwide. 

The fund will coordinate with hospitals and family clinics in major cities of Hanoi , Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City in implementing the campaign, which runs from October 22 to November 12. 

During the event, which marks the 86th anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Union and responds to the world month for breast cancer prevention, 12,000 women involving in the 2015 campaign will also receive free screening, helping them form a habit of taking regular health check-ups. 

Free screening registration can be made through website www.tamsoatungthuvu.vn or by calling to hotline 0888969695 or 0888966466 in working time as well as at hospitals joining the campaign. 

In Vietnam, breast cancer is one of top 10 most popular diseases among women. In 2010, the country has over 12,500 cases and the figure is predicted to reach 22,600 by 2020. 

According to Nguyen Van Thuan, Director of the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital and Vice President cum Director of the Supporting Fund for Caner Patients – Bright Future, 80 percent of breast cancer cases can be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early. The ratio is 60 percent for the second stage and lower in the next stages. 

Screening for early cancer detection right after women turn to the high-risk age of 40 is very significant for treatment, he stressed.

Funds secure for social and health programmes

Two senior officials have pledged that national healthcare and social insurance funding will not run out, but cautioned that appropriate reforms and adjustments were needed.

Bui Sy Loi, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Social Affairs, and Pham Luong Son, Deputy General Director of Vietnam’s Social Insurance Organisation (SIO), delivered the promise at a seminar on “Solutions for effective management of Healthcare and Social Insurance Funds” on October 12.

However, Loi said that if the current situation is not remedied, one cannot rule out the possibility of social insurance and healthcare funds going insolvent by 2019 and 2037.

The current healthcare contribution required of each card-holder is 4.5 percent of basic salary, but this could be increased to the permitted ceiling of 6 percent. This additional revenue would help balance the budget, Loi said. 

Son said that SIO has implemented a number of administrative reform measures and will review procedures further in order to cut out more superfluous steps and improve connectivity between relevant agencies. 

The number of inspections will be increased and IT applications in management boosted in order to prevent fraud and abuse, the two officials said. 

The conference heard that a medical data and healthcare information assessment portal will open nationwide on January 1, 2017, based on a pilot project launched in Hanoi. 

Starting next year, medical facilities across the country will be required to join the portal and share their data, which would include the patients’ medical history, records of all check-up sessions, as well as prescriptions and invoices.

Concerns that the SIO’s exclusive control over spending could lead to a lack of transparency were misguided for the most part, Loi said at the conference. 

He said the SIO was not monopolising the fund. Its function was to implement the Government’s policies and social insurance regimes, and to manage insurance funds as prescribed by law. 

The Social Insurance Management Council – which comprises of representatives from various ministries and authorities – is the agency tasked with directing and managing the activities, including decisions on investment. The council will also propose adjustments to social insurance regimes, Loi said.

He encouraged the public to get involved by reporting suspected abuse and fraud to the authorities. They should also manage efficiently the individual social insurance card that will be issued soon, he said. 

In the first half of 2016, 80 percent of the population had healthcare coverage, exceeding the Government’s set target.

However, this period posted a deficit of 8.5 trillion VND (381 million USD), with total expenditure surpassing last year’s same period by 40 percent.

Son listed a number of reasons for this deficit. He said the number of people enrolling healthcare regimes had increased by 12 percent, accounting for additional 2.9 trillion VND in expenditure. 

Implementing the Ministry of Health’s Circular No 37/2015/TTLT-BYT-BTC on adjusting medical service fees also resulted in an expenditure of 3.2 trillion VND, he said.

Circular 37 aims to gradually end Government subsidies for hospitals. 

Installing transfer mechanisms for patients from central-level to provincial or district-level hospitals in order to reduce overload on the former had also resulted in additional 1.4 trillion VND.

The rest of the deficit (approximate 1 trillion VND) is due to an unusual hike in inpatient care and doubtable drugs prescriptions. 

Healthcare insurance abuse has taken place in both private and public medical facilities, the conference heard. It referred to reports in multiple media outlets which said some people have taken advantage of loopholes to have medical examinations and get prescribed drugs multiple times a day for free. These drugs were sold at lower prices or even used to feed cattle. 

Son said that such abuse accounted for 1-3 percent of the increase in expenditure. 

Both officials called for increased awareness of the social impacts of healthcare fraud.

Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day marked in Laos

The association of Vietnamese businessmen operating in Laos celebrated the 12th Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day on October 13. 

According to head of the 300-member association Nguyen The Hien, Vietnam has invested more than 5 billion USD in Laos, ranking third among foreign investors in the country. 

Addressing the celebration, Lao Minister of Industry and Trade Khemmany Phonselna lauded the contributions of Vietnamese investors to local development. 

He vowed to create the best conditions possible for the community to succeed in the market. 

On the occasion, the Lao national council of industry and trade granted certificates of merit to 15 companies and 16 individuals from the Vietnamese association for their contributions to Vietnam-Laos trade ties. 

The business association donated more than 3,000 USD to the Thongpong school for children with visual impairments, Nguyen Du bilingual school and the association of Vietnamese students at Dongdok university.

Dong Nai accelerates repatriation of martyrs’ remains

Eight single graves and a mass grave filled with soldiers who died during wars against the French and US have been found in the southern province of Dong Nai so far this year.

The graves were discovered after local authorities, organisations, war veterans and people combed 1.5 hectares of land, the steering board for search and repatriation of martyrs’ remains in Dong Nai province reported on October 13.

They are located in Long Khanh town, Bien Hoa city and Cam My and Thong Nhat districts, the board said, noting that all resources have been mobilised for the search of martyrs whose number is believed to exceed 1,000.

However, changes in place names and terrain due to rapid urbanisation and ambiguous information about the fallen soldiers have hindered the efforts, said Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Hoa Hiep, also head of the steering board.

According to the board, martyrs’ graves are thought to scatter Bien Hoa airport, Binh Loc and Suoi Tre communes in Long Khanh town, Binh Son, Binh Phuoc and Long An communes in Long Thanh district, Xuan Truong commune in Xuan Loc district, and Phu Hoa commune in Dinh Quan district.

Hiep called on local authorities to raise the sense of responsibility and public awareness for the search and repatriation of the remains of martyrs.

Dong Nai was an important strategic base in wars against French and US forces, witnessing fierce fights during which multiple soldiers were killed.

Around 2 million Vietnamese children suffer nutritional stunting

About two million Vietnamese children under five years old have not met the height standard of their age group, facing risks of being short and having a low body mass when they fully grow up.

About 24.6% of Vietnamese children under the age of five suffered stunted growth, 0.3% lower than the preceding year, 24.9%, according to a 2015 survey by the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition.

The proportion of underweight youngsters of the same age group was 14.1%, while the rate was 14.5% in 2014, the survey showed.

A significant number of nutritionally stunted children came from the Central Highlands and northern mountainous locales, at 34.2 and 30.3% respectively.

The data also showed that 21.6% of children in the Central Highlands had a low body mass and the rate was 19.5% for those in the northern mountainous community.

The issue is mainly attributed to malnutrition caused by shortage of nutrients, an imbalance diet, diseases, and poverty, according to Le Danh Tuyen, director of the nutrition institute.

Tuyen added that more children living in rural areas, especially poor communities, are subject to nutritional deficiency than those residing in urban regions.

A lack of knowledge about children feeding practices is another factor leading to malnutrition, he said.

“Many parents do not have a proper understanding of nutrition needs during pregnancy, thus resulting in prenatal malnutrition,” Tuyen said.

“Some pay little attention to their kids’ stages of development, which also leads to improper feeding practices and regimes.”

Micronutrient shortage in children was also reported.

In Vietnam, one in four kids under five years old suffers from anemia, while 43% of children of two years of age or younger contract the condition due to poverty, according to the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition.

Salary of Vietnam’s public servants only meets 50% of living standards

Outdated wage policy was named a primary cause of bureaucratic corruption in Vietnam by experts at a conference on wage reform in Hanoi on October 12, local daily Thanh Nien (Young People) reported.

The conference, themed ‘The context and potentials for wage reform,' was held by the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss solutions for substandard public salaries in the country.

In Vietnam, the monthly salaries of public servants are calculated by multiplying a fixed base salary stipulated by the government with a varying ‘salary coefficient’ dependent on an individual’s seniority and position in office.

Between 2008 and 2016, despite Vietnam’s base salary having been raised from VND540,000 (US$24.11) to VND1.21 million (US$54), wage increases have been unstable, with periods of continuous growth and others of stagnation, Prof. Tran Xuan Cau from Hanoi-based National Economics University (NEU) said at the conference.

The professor also pointed out irrationalities in the fact that most public servants in the country pay little attention to the changes in their salary although such changes are supposed to have a direct impact on their lives.

“In reality, rich officials and public servants are not needles in a haystack, and they couldn’t care less about a raise in their base salary,” Prof. Cau was quoted by Thanh Nien as saying. 

“This only proves that there’s something very wrong with Vietnam’s current wage policy."

According to former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Thang Van Phuc, the current salary level for public servants only meets 50-60% of their living standards, a sum that is neither enough to regenerate working capacity nor reflect the real value of their labor.

“The decrease in a public servant’s social values results in reduced performance and creates fertile conditions for corruption to supplant itself and become an obstacle in the country’s path to development,” Phuc explained.

The former deputy minister’s view on the issue was echoed by Tran Dinh Thao, a lecturer at the Hanoi University of Home Affairs, who added that substandard wages have led to public servants relying on outside sources of income that fall outside the scope of government regulations.

Up to 79% of Vietnamese public servants have non-salary incomes or other allowances, according to a 2012 study conducted by the Government Inspectorate.

Citing the study result, Dr. Le Hong Huyen, director at the Social Affairs Department under the Party’s Central Economic Committee, said such unregulated incomes meant a large sum of personal income tax is also being overlooked.

Suggesting a solution to the problem, Dr. Huyen recommended implementing a market mechanism in providing public services, meaning the cost for paying public servants would be included in the price of public services.

According to the director, introducing market prices for public services would help public non-business units make up for the costs of operation and increase salary for public servants, which would in turn reduce bureaucracy and corruption.

Soon, Vietnam will introduce two different wage policies for public servants and civil servants instead of using a single pay scale for all public sector workers.

“Public servants are those who carry out public work in the name of the public power. 

This is different from civil servants in the sense that civil servants work in public units that require specialized profession in such fields as healthcare, education, science, culture, arts, and sports,” Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan said at the conference.

Japan looking to hire 500 construction workers

Concerned about a shortage of construction workers for an expected building boom ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan is looking to tap into Vietnamese labour to bridge the gap.

japan looking to hire 500 construction workers hinh 0 Under a new program just announced by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Molisa), the Japanese government has loosened its training visa rules to allow 500 more workers with construction skills into the country. 

The program is open to construction workers who have a permanent residence address in any of the municipalities – Bac Giang, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Binh Thuan, Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong or Quang Ngai.

Interested applicants can contact Molisa’s Centre of Overseas Labour at (04) 37346751 for assistance in completing application forms. Additional information on the program can also be obtained at http://www.colab.gov.vn/

Outstanding students join SCG Young Leaders program 2016

Fifty outstanding students in HCMC last week participated in the SCG Young Leaders Program, a one-day program that is aimed at developing participants’ leadership skills.

The program helped the participants discover leadership characteristics, and understand leadership behaviors via lively lessons from experts and teamwork in a 12-hour challenge. The attendees had 12 hours to discover leadership characteristics, and communication and teamwork skills. Finally, they did a presentation in English using the knowledge they gained on how to solve a problem at work or in their community.

The program also offered a good chance for the students to listen to stories of senior staff at SCG Vietnam and Thailand and explore job opportunities at SCG in 2017.

The SCG Young Leaders Program has attracted the attention of students in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia since its launch in 2013.

Apart from this program, SCG has other initiatives to develop local human resources like SCG International Internship and SCG scholarships.

Central audiences to enjoy Korean-Vietnamese show

An extravagant show of South Korean and Vietnamese music will be presented on stage at the Culture Centre in Bình Định City in central Quy Nhơn Province tonight. 

The provincial Đào Tấn Tuồng Theatre will open the show with the performance Trống Trận Tây Sơn (Tây Sơn Battle Drum) and Vietnamese traditional music. The show Trống Trận Tây Sơn honours Emperor Quang Trung and the Tây Sơn Uprising against the northern invaders at Đống Đa Mound in Hà Nội in 1789. 

The show will be performed by traditional Korean singer Kim Yeonjin, percussion ensemble Jin Myung, girl band Pengdeng-E and Vietnamese đàn bầu (monochord) artist Lê Hoài Phương. 

The six-member percussion group will present samulnori, a type of Korean percussion music that has been gaining popularity over the last few decades. Samulnori has its roots in farmer’s music and also involves dancing to celebrate harvest time. 

The music is composed by young male musicians of Jin Myung, who are trying to interpret Korean traditional music in this modern global era after studying it at various international festivals and events. They want the world to know about the excellence of Korean traditional music.

Jin Myung will also perform pangut -- a traditional rural dance of South Korea. The drummers will wear hats with long white ribbons attached to them. As they drum and dance around the stage, they keep rotating their heads or turning it from side to side, causing the ribbons to spiral above and behind them. 

Songs from Korean television dramas, such as Dae Jang Geum and Descendants of the Sun, and the movie King and The Clown will be performed by singer Yeonjin. She will be accompanied on the đàn bầu by artist Phương. 

The highlight of the show will be a performance by the two artists featuring the song Hello Việt Nam. The song was composed by Marc Lavoine in French and sung by Belgian-Vietnamese Phạm Quỳnh Anh. It was later adapted into English by Guy Balbaert and is known by the Vietnamese title Xin Chào Việt Nam. 

The song will be sung by Yeonjin in Vietnamese and English.

Pungdeng-E, a fun, all-female pop/hip-hop trio, will bring great energy to the stage when they appear in coordinated, slim-cut suits, pigtails and ball caps. They will sing K-pop songs such as Cotton Candy, Shoop and Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa.

Đàn bầu artist Phương did his masters in traditional music at the Korean Hanyang College. He is currently teaching at the HCM City Conservatory of Music. 

The show is being organised by the Korean Cultural Centre in Hà Nội following the success of the first and second show in 2014 and 2015, and aims to introduce Korean culture and art in Vietnamese central cities and provinces.

"The show this year will showcase the diversified culture of Korea and Việt Nam, which will be presented by artists of the two countries," Lee Dae-joong, director of the cultural centre, said. "I hope the show will enhance the mutual cultural relationship between Việt Nam and Korea."

The show will also be held in Nha Trang City in the central province of Khánh Hòa on Sunday.

HT proposes installing odor-prevention sewer grates

HT Construction Solution Joint Stock Company (HT) has proposed the HCMC government install a new type of sewer grate that can improve rainwater drainage, control rain- and tide-induced floods, prevent household garbage and reduce odor.

The city’s citizens have long suffered from an unpleasant smell from sewer grates clogged by garbage, causing traffic safety hazards and environmental pollution.

Each sewer grate, with installation included, costs VND10 million (US$448), according to HT.

A representative of HCMC Urban Drainage Co Ltd said there are currently a total of 40,000 sewer grates all over the city. So if they are all replaced as proposed by HT, the city would have to pay around VND400 billion (US$17.9 million).

The solution has been piloted in some areas in districts 12 and Hoc Mon, achieving positive results, especially odor control, since 2012.

Upon the company’s proposal, HCMC Vice Chairman Le Van Khoa assigned the city’s Department of Transport, the Flood Control Center and relevant agencies to consider the proposal.

Technical measures suggested for protecting health insurance fund

Given reports on the health insurance fund being abused during the past time, it is now high time to apply advanced technologies to better manage the fund, a National Assembly (NA) official said yesterday.

Data from the Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) shows the social insurance fund has been overspent by more than VND3.4 trillion (US$152.45 million) in 37 localities nationwide in the January-August period, said Bui Sy Loi, deputy head of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Social Affairs.

The overspending is blamed on the misuse of the fund by both insurance card holders and healthcare facilities, he told the online seminar on the Government portal yesterday.

Pham Luong Son, deputy director of VSI, said as the social insurance fund is abused, insurance card holders will have to pay higher health insurance fees while healthcare facilities will fall short of capital for operating.

He noted there have been many activities done to abuse the social insurance, including people who have not purchased the insurance using insurance cards of others to get health checks, or card holders using their cards to have their health check-ups many times at many places to get free medicine for wrong purposes.

In other cases, patients having health insurance cards demand doctors to conduct different tests that are not necessary.

As for hospitals and healthcare centers, the social insurance fund is wrongly used through many tricks in making fake medical records, such as lengthening the time for treatment and raising the total costs for health check-ups and treatment.

Sometimes, doctors suggest patients having insurance cards do unnecessary tests and choose expensive services for treatment, and even sell them exclusive medicine at high costs.

In order to manage the situation, VIS should reform its procedures and apply advanced technologies to manage the fund more effectively, as well as build a technical system to make all information related to the use of the fund more transparent, Loi suggested.

In June, an electronics system was set up to connect data on health checkups and treatments between VIS and health facilities nationwide, he said.

The system is expected to prevent the misuse of the social insurance fund in the coming time as it reports on the times of having health check-ups and treatments in a day or a week of insured patients, the use of technical devices and costs for health checks and treatments.

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