PM approves national plan to ease hospital overload

The Prime Minister has approved a national plan aiming to significantly reduce the overload at state hospitals between 2013-20, with the goal that patients will not have to share hospital beds by 2015.

The immediate focus of the plan is to reduce overcrowding at national and specialised hospitals in Ha Noi and HCM City, in addition to increasing the hospital occupancy rate at district and provincial hospitals to 60 per cent by 2015 and 80 per cent by 2020.

These hospitals will be used as satellites for specialised departments (including tumor, trauma unit, cardiology, obstetrics and paediatrics) in Ha Noi and HCM City's state hospitals.

It has also been suggested that investment be poured into upgrading and expanding hospital facilities so that at least 7,150 extra beds will be in use by 2015.

Following the PM's decision, three-year pilot projects will begin in Ha Noi and HCM City in which family doctors will collaborate with available medical clinics to improve care for residents.

2013: Vietnam Year in Choisy-le-Roi

A ceremony has been held in Choisy-le-Roi city, France to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on Vietnam and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Photo: VOV

At the ceremony, Mayor of Choisy-le-Roi city, Daniel Davisse said 2013 is the Vietnam Year in Choisy-le-Roi as the city welcomed a Vietnamese delegation to the historical event 40 years ago.

During that time, he said, he was not living in the city, but had attended many meetings and demonstrations in support of Vietnam’s struggle against US aggression as well as charity activities to raise funds for Vietnamese people.

Mr Davisse said the historical event has laid a solid foundation for the two countries to strengthen solidarity and friendship. He added that Choisy-le-Roi has also established sisterly relations with Dong Da district in Hanoi for many years.

At the ceremony, French friends and visitors were impressed by the image of the capital city of Hanoi with cultural characteristics such as lotus, The Huc bridge, Hoan Kiem lake and enjoyed puppetry shows.

Vietnamese ambassador Duong Chi Dung affirmed that Choisy-le-Roi has been historically related to Vietnam as seen through impressive photos of the Paris Peace Accords, and members of the Vietnamese delegations participating in the Paris Peace talks.

Dung emphasized that Vietnam is proud of its close friends in Choisy-le-Roi and other French cities. In 2013, diverse activities will be held in the city to mark the close friendship between the two countries and the signing of Paris Peace Accords.

Woman killed in city cloth store fire

The woman owner of a HCM City cloth shop died in a fire that broke out in the shop early this morning, Jan 11.

Witnesses said they tried to extinguish the blaze at Le Kim Suong's shop in District 2 after hearing her shouts for help, and managed to rescue Suong and her husband.

But she ran back inside to save her goods and died of suffocation, they added.

All the things in the couple's house, where the shop was located, were destroyed and two motorbikes were badly damaged.

The police are investigating.

Vietnam, US veterans promote exchange

A literary exchange programme that aimed to heal old war wounds took place in Ha Noi yesterday.

Participants in the discussion, organised by the Vietnam-US Association and the Soldier's Heart Initiative (SHI) as part of a month-long series of events, discussed poems and other written works by American and Vietnamese veterans.

Members of the US-based organisation have visited Viet Nam many times to build houses and nursery schools in Mekong Delta provinces and help Agent Orange victims and poor people, said Edward Tick, the organisation's chairman, who hopes to establish a SHI branch office in Viet Nam to organise similar activities.

Lam Dong uncovers forestry violations

Authorities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong discovered nearly 1,900 forestry violations last year, collecting over VND17 billion (US$816,000) in administrative fines and retrieving more than 1,000ha of illegally encroached forest.

More than 541 cases concerned illegal destruction of forest, mainly in Lac Duong, Da Teh, Bao Lam and Da Huoai districts and Da Lat City. Violators were mostly ethnic minority people and migrants, destroying forest to make fields for agricultural cultivation and housing.

Seminar discusses lifelong learning policies

The Ministry of Education and Training and UNESCO Viet Nam concluded a two-day workshop yesterday on creating policies to support lifelong learning in ASEAN countries.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien said that building a learning society has always been among the top priorities of Viet Nam.

In 2005, the Government approved a national scheme on building a learning society. Current goals include eliminating illiteracy and promoting education in regions that face socio-economic difficulties, as well as for ethnic minorities, women and other historically disadvantaged groups.

Katherine Muller-Marin, UNESCO representative in Viet Nam, said that in a learning community, all organizations - both public and private - should prioritize education and training.

The two-day workshop will provide recommendations to the upcoming 47th Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organizations (SEAMEO) Council Conference, to be held in Viet Nam in March.

VNN/VOV/VNS