Blood donations urgently needed for children: charity group

A charitable group in Hanoi is calling for badly needed blood donations for children at the National Hospital of Pediatrics.

The Chap canh uoc mo (Making dreams come true) group will launch its second blood donation campaign at the hospital’s Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center on Sunday. The hospital’s Cancer Department treats around 3,000 in- and out-patients every year, many of whom require blood transfusions. Despite a recently launched public donation campaign, the current blood supply remains low and has led to the deaths ofmany young children. Dr. Bui Ngoc Lan, head of the department, says they have never faced such a “crisis” before. Established last November, Chap canh uoc mo Group now has more than 70 members devoted to charitable activities for cancer-stricken children. It also runs a blood bank, set up this May, for children. To join the campaign, contact Ha Van Luong by phone (090 404 4428) or e-mail haluongnscc@yahoo.com to register in advance. Further information about the group and the campaign is now available on the website www.chapcanhuocmo.com.vn. Reported by Thanh Nguyen

Melamine checks find questionable milk products

Inspectors take imported powder milk samples from Hanoi Milk Joint Stock Company (Hanoimilk) Wednesday More milk products of dubious origin have been uncovered as inspections of dairy products continue across Vietnam, in the wake of the tainted milk scandal in China which as killed four infants.

Vietnamese authorities are testing milk products imported from China and unlabeled milk products for the presence of the industrial chemical melamine, normally used to make plastics. In Hanoi, an inspection team led by Health Ministry Deputy Chief Inspector Do Duc Nhuong conducted a spot check at Hanoi Milk Joint Stock Company (Hanoimilk) and ordered the company to withhold 280 tons of imported Chinese powdered milk until the results of test samples are known. Hanoimilk had imported 375 tons of powered milk from China’s Longcom Enterprise Ltd. and had already sold 95 tons to two companies in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoimilk said it had been granted a quality standard certificate for the imported milk by Vietnam’s Food Hygiene Safety Bureau. Nhuong said although Longcom was not on the blacklist of 22 Chinese dairy firms that had sold melamine-contaminated products, inspectors would still examine Hanoimilk’s imported powered milk. Of the 280 tons of powdered milk in Hanoimilk’s warehouse, 180 tons will expire in early 2009 while the expiry date on the remainder is this month. In Ho Chi Minh City, inspections by market management forces unearthed 6.6 tons of foreign milk materials of dubious origin. Some 5.3 tons of imported milk materials without labels or origins from Duc Long Hang Enterprise in District 6, along with 1.3 tons of milk materials from Mai Tram Company in Go Vap District were sealed waiting for further tests. The HCMC Department of Health said Wednesday that samples from milk imported from Inner Mongolia’s YiLi Industrial Group were found to have much higher levels of melamine than reported by local importer Kim An Company. Kim An Company had said results from examinations done by an affiliate of the city’s Department of Science and Technology revealed a melamine concentration of 25.34 micrograms per liter. According to the World Health Organization, no national or international authority has approved melamine for human consumption. The chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Kim An Company said it had recalled all the YiLi milk it had distributed but 321 one-liter tins of milk had already been sold. In a dispatch sent to the city’s Department of Education and Training Wednesday, the Department of Health called for milk products supplied to city schools to be monitored more strictly. Health officials in the central city of Da Nang are urgently investigating local milk businesses. More Ensure products without Vietnamese usage-guidance labels have been discovered and around 100 large cans recalled. By Wednesday, 14 small traders had been penalized for trading milk without labels or of dubious origin. Earlier investigations on AC Food low-quality milk revealed that 60 cartons of the product had been sold to Da Nang but the cartons have not yet been found. Wednesday, the Health Department and the market management agency of central Thua Thien-Hue Province launched inspections of milk products, including milk, ice-cream, cakes and sweets sold locally at Dong Ba and An Cuu markets and in Hue Town. Unofficial information said many milk products from China and those with unclear origin had been sold in the province previously but such products appear to have now disappeared from shop shelves. Meanwhile, the Health Department asked district offices to issue warnings about tainted Chinese milk and milk products without clear origin labels. Deputy Health Minister Cao Minh Quang Wednesday said all milk imported to Vietnam from China must be checked for toxic substances before being used. Before the tainted milk scandal broke, milk products from 109 Chinese milk companies had been imported to Vietnam. “Any other milk found with melamine contamination will be seized and destroyed,” Quang said. “Those that pass the checks will be allowed to be sold in Vietnam.” Quang said even milk products bearing melamine-free certificates would be subject to spot checks for the chemical. At the sideline of a meeting with the Central Steering Committee on Food Safety and Hygiene Wednesday, Quang said there should be stricter regulations on importing milk. “The Health Ministry had requested the Vietnam Food Administration and concerned authorities to modify regulations relating to licenses issued to imported milk,” he said. Reported by Thanh Nien staff

UN, WHO urge Vietnamese mothers to breastfeed

Dr. Jean-Marc Olivé (L), WHO representative for Vietnam, and Dr. Marjatta Tolvanen – Ojutkangas, Chief of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF Vietnam at a news conference in Hanoi Friday The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam are urging Vietnamese mothers to breastfeed their infants in the wake of the recent tainted milk scandal out of China.

To date, melamine-tainted milk products have killed four infants and sickened some 53,000 children in China. In a joint statement issued Friday, the WHO and UNICEF said breast milk is better for infants than any formula. “This shocking incident has highlighted that the safest and healthiest choice parents can make is to breastfeed infants,” said Dr. Jean-Marc Olive, WHO representative for Vietnam. “Parents should be made aware that infant formula can be tainted or contaminated during its manufacture, preparation and use. Exclusive breastfeeding up to six months is the greatest gift a mother can give,” he said. “The actions of the perpetrators have led to loss of life and placed children’s growth and development at risk,” said Jesper Morch, representative of UNICEF Vietnam. Recent studies show that only 17 percent of Vietnamese infants are breastfed exclusively in the first six months of life, according to the release. Additionally, breastfeeding within one hour of birth is initiated just 58 percent of the time. It is common in Vietnam to give water, formula or a sugar fluid to infants soon after delivery. In recent years, there has been an increase in bottle-feeding for infants in the nation. Up to 80 percent of Vietnamese children are fed other types of food and liquid before six months of age. The WHO has offered technical support to Vietnamese authorities who began investigating milk products in the country last week. According to local health watchdogs, milk products imported from China are being tested throughout Vietnam for the industrial chemical melamine. The substance, normally used for making plastics, can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. No national or international authorities approve any level of melamine for human consumption. Source: Thanh Nien

Spokesperson not a decoy for media inquiries

When the Ministry of Information and Communication instructed every government office to designate a spokesperson to talk to the media, the idea was to allow the public speedy access to official information.

More than a year later, it is evident that the purpose has not been met, and has, in some instances, been defeated. So far only 28 agencies or so have even appointed a spokesperson. And many of the spokespersons see their role as being limited to organizing periodic press briefings. Some government officials have begun to rely on spokespersons as an excuse to refuse questions from reporters. When the regulation was issued in May 2007, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Do Quy Doan did emphasize that having a spokesperson doesn’t mean that government officials are not responsible for providing information to the media. Some ministries have carried out the regulation effectively. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Construction, Nguyen Thanh Minh, has said his ministry does not filter every type of information through his office so that the media can gather information from other entities and agencies in the ministry. The Ministry of Trade has been one of the few ministries reacting quite quickly to unreliable information floating around the public sphere, including news about the prices of rice and gas. However, some government agencies do not seem to realize that providing the media with information is not only their responsibility, but also their right. A deputy minister, when asked questions about the area under his purview, said that the ministry’s spokesperson was the only one allowed to talk to the media. He asked reporters to contact that ministry’s office manager, who was also the spokesperson. Also in that particular ministry, a department head, known for being quite “open” to the media, once said he would answer questions only if asked to do so by the spokesperson. In another ministry, the designated spokesperson, who was also the office manager, said every single media inquiry must be sent in writing. But most reporters have never received any document in reply from this ministry. So far, most government agencies have designated the office manager as their spokesperson. Though this person might be the one who understand the most how that ministry functions, he or she might not have the expertise when it comes to a specific issue. In a recent meeting with the media, deputy minister Doan said violations of the regulation on designating spokesperson would be reported to the Prime Minister. It is more important, however, that government agencies understand that they have the responsibility to let the public know what’s going on. By Tuyet Nhung

Authenticity, not glitter, key to tourism success

Hoi An recently celebrated the 10th year of its “Ancient Street at Night” event, where the best cultural aspects of the area in the early 20th century are recreated with residents playing the main character.

This success story begins when architect Bui Kien Quoc returns to Vietnam in 1998, the year Hoi An is officially recognized as a World Heritage site. Quoc comes up with the idea of recreating Hoi An as it was in the early 20th century. Since then, the event has been organized on the 14th and the 15th of each lunar month. It’s estimated that “Ancient Street at Night” has attracted about 500,000 visitors over the years. In 2007 alone, the number of tourists in Hoi An during the 14th and 15th each lunar month averaged 2,730 compared to 1,400 during normal days. “The one million tourists reaching Hoi An every year, along with more and more international organizations and foreign universities choosing the town as the venue for their events, tells us something about the popularity of this place,” says Quoc. “I believe the ‘Ancient Street at Night’ does have something to do with that,” he adds. Vo Phung, director of Hoi An Center of Culture and Sports, says Hoi An consulted its residents before launching the event, and most agreed with the idea of transforming Hoi An into an ancient city without noise, at least for the days of the celebration. Over the years, more events have been added to diversify the program, including bringing back senior artists once popular in Hoi An to play concert hall music and recreating the activities of Confucian scholars at Cau Pagoda. Quoc says the success of the “Ancient Street at Night” event is not about concentrated decoration in the streets in Hoi An, but about recreating the ambience realistically. And that is best way for the tourism sector to market what Vietnam has to offer. By Truong Dien Thang

HCMC to expand voluntary drug rehab programs

Ho Chi Minh City is considering allowing two additional rehabilitation centers to receive voluntary patients who are willing to pay for treatment, the administration said at a meeting Tuesday.

Nguyen Thanh Tai, vice chairman of HCMC People’s Committee, told the city’s legislative office at the meeting to set the fees for addicts. Once the authorization is given, these rehab centers under the management of the HCMC Volunteer Youth Force and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs will become the city’s second and third centers to admit voluntary patients and charge fees for services. The first of its kind, Nhi Xuan Rehabilitation Center managed by the city’s Volunteer Youth Force, is already operating the program. Drug users who voluntarily enter rehab are not penalized and their addictions are not documented in criminal records, said Hoang Thi Diem Trang from the Volunteer Youth Force. “Such regulations will encourage addicts to complete rehab programs and not feel ostracized when reintegrating into the community.” Trang said the Nhi Xuan Center received 382 voluntary check-ins from January 1 to June 30 this year, most of whom range from 18-30 years of age with 70 percent undergoing detoxification for the first time. According to the city’s Volunteer Youth Force, around 60 percent of the city’s rehabilitants didn’t return to complete their rehab when permitted to go home on special authorized leaves. Vice Chairman Tai also asked the Volunteer Youth Force to cooperate with district authorities to enhance security at all rehab centers in HCMC to minimize cases of drugs being smuggled into the centers. In the first six months of this year, more than 100 rehab centers nationwide provided treatment to 27,740 drug addicts. The government has set a target to cure 80 percent of drug addicts by 2010. Reported by Minh Nam

Patient pilfering complaint lodged

A new private ambulance service in Lam Dong Province has been accused of poaching patients from Lam Dong General Hospital and taking them to other facilities.

The Health Department of the Central Highlands province is investigating the complaint leveled at the 115 Ambulance Service, launched by Quang Loc Ltd. Co. on September 1. Lam Dong General Hospital Director Nguyen Ba Hy said 115 Ambulance Service staff had visited wards and encouraged patients to move to other hospitals in their vehicles. Last Saturday, a patient was transferred by the 115 Ambulance Service from Lam Dong General Hospital to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, despite the hospital’s efforts to stop the transfer, Hy said. The patient, who had suffered severe multiple injuries in a traffic accident, was supposed to have been transferred by the hospital’s own ambulance, he said. “Sometimes, they [the 115 Ambulance Service staff] just came in and take a patient away without informing hospital staff,” Hy said. “Quang Loc Company was wrong to transfer the patients without approval from the hospital and without being fully aware of a patient’s condition,” Lam Dong Province’s Health Department official Tran Ngoc Trung, said. Deputy Director of Quang Loc Company, Huynh Nhat Quang, admitted the company had erred in taking the patients without hospital permission. However, Quang rejected allegations his staff had encouraged patients to use their services, saying the 115 Ambulance Service only transferred patients after signing contracts to do so with a patient’s relatives. According to a previous decision by the Ministry of Health, the function of 115 AS was to provide emergency aid and convey patients to hospitals from where accidents or emergencies had occurred. The new ambulance service has also been accused of failing to provide sufficient documentation to qualify for a private ambulance license. Lam Dong General Hospital Director Hy said the head of the 115 Ambulance Service, Bui Thi Bich Lien, hadn’t proved to authorities he was able to provide recuperation and emergency aid. According to Health Ministry regulations, the head of an ambulance service must have graduated from a medical university and have five years experience at medical centers and certificates of recuperation and emergency aid. Hy said he couldn’t understand how the 115 Ambulance Service had obtained a license. He said the 115 Ambulance Service’s current license did not authorize the service to perform hospital-to-hospital transfers. However, if the company could provide appropriate certificates and licenses, the hospital would consider signing a contract with the company for such services, he said. Reported by Gia Binh

Elite healthcare emerges in Vietnam

The France-Vietnam (FV) hospital in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. More affluent Vietnamese are now taking advantage of high-end services offered by healthcare providers. Five-star service at hotel-style hospitals is the new preference for Vietnam’s nouveaux riches.

Nguyen Huyen Chi, a personnel manager working for a car company in Hanoi, doesn’t think twice about spending more than US$1,000 on obstetric care at the city’s France-Vietnam (FV) Hospital. “It is fairly expensive compared with similar services at state-owned hospitals. But, I feel very pleased with the quality of the hospital’s medical care, as well as its facilities,” Chi said, relaxing on a leather sofa in the hospital’s air-conditioned waiting lounge. The 30-year-old is waiting to give birth to her first baby. As Vietnam has become more prosperous in recent years, the country’s nouveaux riches – who often work for large, state-owned companies or have made fortunes in the country’s booming private sector – are taking full advantage of the new high-class health care services being offered. “The number of our customers increased 25 percent in 2007 over 2006. And we expect to maintain the growth in 2008,” said Vo Van Ban, deputy general director of FV Hospital, one of the top-end health establishments in Hanoi. Five-star, hotel-style hospitals, first-rate private medical centers, and package health services have also become increasingly popular with the locals. “Up to 80 percent of our customers are Vietnamese people, and the rest are foreigners who visit or work in Vietnam,” Ban said, adding that they often come to his hospital for regular medical checkups and obstetric services. In recent years, foreign direct investment has resulted in the establishment of more modern hospitals, which are able to offer high-quality medical services at lower prices than similar regional hospitals. “Our infrastructure and quality of services are equal to those in Europe, while our service fees are much lower,” Ban said. Charges for many services are one-tenth of those in other countries while the quality and range of treatment options continues to advance. “The services are very comfortable, especially for children and old people, so more and more people use them,” said Cao Xuan Canh, a nurse from the Vietnam-Germany Hospital in Hanoi. High-end services at some state-owned hospitals are also on the rise. Many now offer high-priced rooms equipped with TVs, fridges and air conditioners. And patient demand for such amenities far outweighs the current availability. “Everyday, half of our 1,300 patients demand high-priced rooms,” said Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy, deputy director of the Tu Du Obstetric Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Despite Vietnam’s medical advancement, however, there remains a dearth of certain procedures offered. As well, there is still a perception amongst many that treatment quality is superior outside the country. Many Vietnamese continue to seek treatment abroad, mainly for cardiovascular diseases cancer, and organ transplants. The most common destinations include Singapore, Thailand, China and some European countries. In Vietnam, around 5,500 patients are currently in need of kidney transplants, and thousands more need liver transplants, according to the Ministry of Health. Each year, around 30,000 Vietnamese travel abroad for medical procedures, spending a total of $500,000-$1 billion annually, according to the ministry’s estimate. However, Vietnam’s wealthy community comprises only a small percentage of the total population. In a country whose annual income per capita is under $1,000 and pharmaceutical expenditure per capita is $15.2, high-end medical services are far from being available to everyone, especially rural residents. Overcrowded state-owned hospitals remain the only option for most Vietnamese. Seventy-year-old Nguyen Thi Gam, from a suburb of Hanoi, is forced to share a bed with another patient as she awaits surgery on her arm and leg. She sustained the injuries in a traffic accident a few days earlier and like many, she doesn’t have the funds for a private room. “I can’t afford pharmaceuticals, let alone high-quality health services,” said Gam. Reported by Bao Anh

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Miracle baby’ arrives home after US surgery

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Phung Thien Nhan, the miracle baby who survived an attack by wild animals in a jungle two years ago, arrived home Thursday after undergoing surgery in the US.

The tot and his adoptive parents Tran Mai Anh and Phung Quang Nghinh arrived in Hanover, New Hampshire less than three weeks ago where the boy underwent surgery on his groin. Nhan’s mother told Thanh Nien Daily that she was excited after arriving in the US as the trip would mark the start of a long process to bring normalcy back into the child’s life. Dubbed the “miracle boy,” Nhan’s story led to an outpouring of public sympathy when it was discovered his teenage mother had left him to die in the forest after giving birth in a small town in central Vietnam. Nhan was discovered 72 hours later, his body covered in blood after his groin and leg were severely attacked by wild animals. The boy was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to save his life, though he was left with just one leg and a mangled groin area. In March, Nhan was adopted by Anh and Nghinh, a journalist couple from Hanoi Anh said the toddler’s initial examination took place on August 19 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. It was determined the boy needed intervention as soon as possible to allow Nhan to urinate more easily and to eliminate the possibility of a blockage that might lead to infection. The genital surgery on August 21 was a complete success and Nhan will now have total control of his bladder and urinary functions, Anh said. On August 26, a medical team from Chicago’s Rehabilitation Institute evaluated the boy’s prosthetic leg and his ability to move. Anh said her family was happy to learn that with modifications to his prosthetic limb and physical therapy, Nhan should be able to walk normally in a matter of years. Anh said the total cost of Nhan’s treatment is approximately US$120,000 and they have now received more than $50,000 in donations. The toddler will still need to undergo reconstructive surgery on his groin over the next four years, said Greig Craft, president of the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF). “We will do our best everyday to build up a normal life for Nhan despite the long process of medical treatment and rehabilitation,” Anh said after arriving home. Reported by Vinh Bao

Doctor crisis in central province

Health authorities in a central province are wrestling with a shortage of medical staff, which has left many local residents without access to appropriate healthcare.

According to the Health Department of Binh Thuan Province, the province’s 32 hospitals and medical centers need 187 doctors and hundreds of pharmacists and university-trained medical workers. Recent departmental statistics showed there were 66 doctors and medical workers at medical stations scattered throughout the province’s 127 communes. Only 52 percent of communes have medical services now, compared with 90 percent in 2004. People are facing difficulties accessing basic health care services when such services are not available in their communes, a department official said. The official also said the lack of local medical services meant hospitals and medical centers were overloaded with patients. Statistics showed the province had a total of 483 doctors, 20 pharmacists and 46 university-trained medical workers. On a per capita basis, the province has one doctor per 2,500 people. Like many other provinces, Binh Thuan has no doctor-training facilities. The only medical school, Binh Thuan Medical College, trains nurses. Many local students who study to become doctors remain in the big cities after completing their degrees. Head of Binh Thuan Health Department’s Personnel Branch, Le Thanh Phuong, said most of the recently hired doctors were medical workers from the province who had been sent to medical universities to upgrade their qualifications. Phuong said there had only been about five new doctors recruited each year. He said many other provinces were also having difficulty recruiting new doctors even though the number of graduates from medical universities has been increasing each year. In the last four years, 33 doctors have also quit jobs at hospitals and medical centers in the province, including seven doctors from Binh Thuan General Hospital. Another cause of the doctor shortage was due to the poor organization of personnel in the health system, said Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Chau, former deputy director of Binh Thuan Health Department. “Several provincial hospitals have been overloaded, while many specialized doctors have been sent to district medical centers which don’t have the facilities for their type of specialized surgery,” he said. “There was a doctor who specialized in a phaco surgery (a form of cataract surgery) who was sent to a district medical center which could not provide such surgery.” Director of Binh Thuan Health Department, Nguyen Van Nhon, also said there should be a reorganization of health personnel in the province. Nhon also said the department had asked the provincial People’s Committee for an increased budget to train new doctors. Nhon also said there should be favorable conditions to attract doctors to the province. “Besides a high salary, there should be an adequate working environment to attract doctors,” said Phan Ngoc Hung, director of An Phuoc Hospital in Binh Thuan Province, the first private hospital in the south-central region. Reported by Que Ha

Japan underwrites equipment for cataract

The Japanese government Monday donated US$81,500 to the main hospital of the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang to buy medical equipment for cataract surgery.

The donation was part of a non-refundable aid program of the Japanese government to Vietnamese localities, which has been implemented through the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi. Japanese Ambassador Mitsuo Sakaba expressed hope that the medical equipment would help more eye patients in Tuyen Quang get surgery as well as contribute to boosting mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries. Tuyen Quang Province has an estimated 2,000 people suffering from cataract, one of the main causes of blindness. Source: VNA

Waste disposal at southern hospital endangers public health

The heavy smoke emanating from Tien Giang Tuberculosis Hospital blows daily through the household of local resident Le Van Phuoc, carrying with it a putrid stench that pollutes the neighborhood.

Phuoc, a resident of Long My Hamlet, Long An Commune in Tien Giang Province’s Chau Thanh District has long suffered the adverse effects resulting from trash burning at the nearby hospital since 2003. “It’s hard to bear the foul smoke blowing through my house almost every day,” he said. Phuoc’s house is separated from the hospital by a small piece of land, which had been previously used by neighbors to grow vegetables. But the growers have ceased to use the plot for cultivation due to fear of stepping on discarded needles thrown from the hospital site. Le Thi Ngoc, another resident of the hamlet, said the hospital burns its garbage twice a day, except on Saturdays and Sundays. The chimney of the hospital’s incinerator is rather low, according to Ngoc, and thus “everyone has to find a place to avoid the smoke [when the furnace is being operated].” Other hospitals in the province pool their rubbish to be burned at the tuberculosis hospital, making air pollution in the vicinity even worse, locals said. Moreover, the hospital also discards its sewage via a 300-meter-long plastic pipe which empties into a canal that used to serve as the hamlet’s water source. Do Thi Tuyet, a local who lives near the canal, said about six years ago residents often used water from the canal for cooking, watering and washing needs. Now residents of Long My Hamlet pay around VND4,400 (US$0.27) for a cubic meter of tap water, she said, noting that most of locals are hired workers who struggle to make ends meet. Phuoc said locals have requested that hospital administration, provincial health agencies and municipal authorities intervene to safeguard public health but so far no action has been taken. Last year, Phuoc and another local named Le Van Luom sent complaints to the district administration and received an offer in return to hand over their land for hospital expansion. Phuoc and Luom had turned down the proposal as the suggested compensation was too little, Phuoc said. Nguyen Hung Vi, deputy director of Tien Giang Province’s Health Department, said many hospitals in the province lack incinerators and thus an excessive amount of garbage has to be burnt at Tien Giang Tuberculosis Hospital. Vi said the department is planning to replace the current tuberculosis hospital with another site three kilometers away from the residential area. But it will take at least two years before the new hospital project will be finished, he said. Source: SGTT

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Central hospitals need medical shortage fix

The administration of Quang Nam Province Wednesday asked its health and financial agencies to work with the province’s medical suppliers to fix a month-long drug and medical supply shortage.

Tran Minh Ca, vice chairman of Quang Nam People’s Committee, said medical centers could purchase up to VND100 million (US$6,000) of supplies from other sources if the drugs weren’t out of date. Pham Ngoc Chuong, director of Quang Nam General Hospital, said the shortage even forced the hospital to borrow drugs from outside. Meanwhile another general hospital in the province’s northern area may have to stop all operations in the next two days because of the shortage, the hospital director Nguyen Van Tan said. The provincial department of health said a price drop in the last month has almost frozen all medical supplies. Six out of the province’s 14 suppliers are asking for permission to increase prices. Reported by Ho Trong

Southern provinces on alert for dengue fever

A doctor from Can Tho Children Hospital examining a child diagnosed with dengue fever on Tuesday. The Ministry of Health has called on southern provinces to remain vigilant for dengue fever outbreaks and step up mosquito eradication programs.

“All 20 southern provinces have to find effective and strong ways to fight dengue fever in September,” Deputy Minister of Health Trinh Quan Huan told a meeting in Soc Trang Province Thursday. “Many dengue fever outbreaks were forecast for this year,” he said, adding that most cases reported so far this year had occurred in southern provinces. Huan hailed a Can Tho City campaign that raises awareness among teachers and students of the need to destroying mosquito larvae, saying other provinces should follow suit. The Ministry of Health allocated extra funds to southern provinces to help contain dengue fever outbreaks in the coming months. Teams from the Ministry of Health’s Administration of Preventive Medicine earlier this month visited the provinces of Ca Mau, Binh Phuoc and Binh Duong, the areas considered most vulnerable to outbreaks of dengue fever. The health officials found an alarming increase in the number of dengue fever cases so far this year. Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ca Mau Province, Trinh Minh Thanh, said there had been more than 4,500 dengue fever patients in the province this year and seven fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease. According to a report from the Pasteur Institute in HCMC, more than 37,000 people in southern provinces have been infected with dengue fever so far this year. Thirty-eight have died. “We are at a critical stage because the dengue fever epidemics often peak between September and November,” Pasteur Institute chief Tran Ngoc Huu said. Reported by Quang Minh Nhat

Drug administration prescribes cures for looming shortage

Hospitals struggling to deal with a shortage in drug supplies have been advised to choose cheaper drugs with similar efficacy; invite direct bids from suppliers; or issue fresh tenders.

The Drug Administration’s advice aims to deal with a situation caused by the refusal of pharmaceutical distributors to supply the drugs as contracted, either because the prices are below current market levels, or because rising costs have made the contracted prices untenable. Truong Quoc Cuong, head of the Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health, told Thanh Nien that some hospitals including the Central Children Hospital, the Central Obstetrics Hospital, and Hanoi-based Huu Nghi Hospital have reported difficulties in obtaining supplies of some drug items. Cuong affirmed that the drug industry did not lack stocks of the needed medicine. He said the shortage in hospitals has been caused by drug distributors who are deliberately delaying the supply, or providing it in small quantities because contracted prices were lower than current market prices. Under the contracts signed with the hospitals by many drug companies early in 2008, the prices remain unchanged for 6-12 months. But drug manufacturers and importers say they have had to struggle with rising costs over the last few months. Some companies have actually reneged on their contracts and accepted penalties rather than suffer losses by supplying drugs at the previously agreed price, Cuong said. After a price freeze imposed in March was lifted in June, the government allowed prices on some drugs to be increased. In Ho Chi Minh City, prices have increased by 1-3 percent, according to health officials. At Hanoi pharmacies, the prices of many items, including antibiotics, vitamins and tonics, have risen by at least 5 percent. In July, the government worked on proposals submitted by 30 pharmaceutical firms who sought price hikes for 352 imported drugs and asked for clarifications for about 330 of them. Cuong said his office made the proposal after some health departments in Hanoi, HCMC, and Da Nang City applied the measures and found them effective. Reported by Lien Chau

Central hospitals need medical shortage fix

The administration of Quang Nam Province Wednesday asked its health and financial agencies to work with the province’s medical suppliers to fix a month-long drug and medical supply shortage.

Tran Minh Ca, vice chairman of Quang Nam People’s Committee, said medical centers could purchase up to VND100 million (US$6,000) of supplies from other sources if the drugs weren’t out of date. Pham Ngoc Chuong, director of Quang Nam General Hospital, said the shortage even forced the hospital to borrow drugs from outside. Meanwhile another general hospital in the province’s northern area may have to stop all operations in the next two days because of the shortage, the hospital director Nguyen Van Tan said. The provincial department of health said a price drop in the last month has almost frozen all medical supplies. Six out of the province’s 14 suppliers are asking for permission to increase prices. Reported by Ho Trong

Snake oil parlors thrive on demand for instant beauty cures

Doctors at the Cho Ray Hospital perform a breast lift surgery. A slim waist, a bigger breast, a straighter nose, or firmer thighs – you want it, you got it, say many beauty salons in Ho Chi Minh City catering to rampant demand for such makeovers.

Th. M., who will not reveal her age or name, is on the verge of getting married and tempted by the offers because she wants to get more beautiful, but is undecided as yet. While the demand for cosmetic surgical treatments is driven mainly by women, many men are in the hunt as well. Xuan, a male model, has approached the Moza salon in Binh Thanh District for a surgery that would make him look more masculine. His enquiries about the services and prices there have impressed him sufficiently to say that he would bring his friends there. It should give Th. M. and Xuan pause that many prospective customers of the myriad salons offering medical treatments and cosmetic surgeries are oblivious that such services are unauthorized. Ngoc, owner of the Song Ngoc Beauty Salon in District 3, promotes a drug produced especially for breast lifts. “Absolutely no side effect,” Ngoc assures her customers, adding that the drug is even mail-ordered by clients in the north. But the owner of My Anh Beauty Salon, also in District 3, says the drug, and many of the kind, are effective only for a short time. The Nhan Sac Beauty Salon in District 1 is a popular spot for women wishing to have slim waists. Nhan, the salon owner, advises her customers to undergo surgery because it is the quickest way to remove waist fat. “You pay VND8 million (US$485.29) and you don’t need to be hospitalized because we have surgeons right here,” Nhan says. Like Nhan Sac, several beauty salons provide surgeries on their premises to remove fat or for silicone gel breast implants. Typical among them is the salon run by Nguyen Xuan Ai in District 3’s Cao Thang Street, whose license has already been revoked by the city’s health department. Anh Thu, a worker at the salon, says a surgery to remove waist fat costs VND45 million ($2,730) and the customers don’t need further care in a hospital. It is not just private salons that are offering these cosmetic treatments. Some of the 50 clinics under the Department of Health also provide services that they are not licensed to do under a decree issued by the Ministry of Health. Dao Thi Hong Van, a doctor at the Van Beauty Salon in District 5, says that for about VND36 million ($2,200) customers will be given an anesthetic and can undergo a breast-lift surgery at the salon itself. Kim Anh, another beauty salon in the same district that provides breast lift, facelift and fat removal surgeries, offers medical examinations before the surgeries. “Girls of 17 or 18 years of age can already have breast implants,” the salon owner guarantees. Dr. Nguyen Cuu Bao Hung runs a clinic in District 10 that offers laparoscopic surgeries that leave no scar. Hung says his clinic is inspected every month by officials from the health department. Customers can leave immediately after a fat-removing surgery in his clinic, he says confidently. Hung argues that “only good doctors leave hospitals to start their own clinics, because they can deal with possible medical problems.” He also affirms that examinations are unnecessary to carry out fat removal surgery. Hung’s clinic offers surgical treatment for most body parts, including the belly, thigh, breast, hip, calf and knee. Better safe than sorry In contrast to many salons and clinics eager to convince customers that the cosmetic uplifts they seek are safe and worth it, there are other professionals who advise caution when approached. Dr. Le Trung Nghia at a cosmetic surgery clinic in District 3’s Dien Bien Phu Street refuses to provide any services out of his authorized competence. Nghia recently advised a girl who wanted to have surgeries on her lips and nose to go to a hospital department that provides free surgery to correct harelips. “In a hospital, you can receive post-surgery care, which is even more important than the surgery itself,” he told her. Nghia also persuaded another girl not to look for an eyelid or nose job because she would look older and unnatural. Customers should go to hospitals for plastic surgeries or if they want to remove fat, Nghia says, adding for good measure: “Their relatives should go with them.” Any surgery can cause accidents, he cautions. Many hospitals like the Trauma and Orthopedic Hospital in District 5 or Columbia Asia Hospital in Binh Thanh District also advise their patients to go on a diet or do more physical exercises instead of undergoing fat removal surgeries. Doctor Ke of Van Hanh Hospital in District 10 lists a slew of negative effects that cosmetic surgeries can have. For instance, a silicone gel breast implant can harden the breast and removing fat can block blood vessels, he says. Nguyen Thanh Van, vice president of HCMC Cosmetic Surgery Association, says many people these days still think of cosmetic surgery as a miracle that can make them beautiful. But in fact they can be harmful and many surgical outcomes have little life by themselves. Van says many women wish to undergo surgeries just to abide by a physiognomist fortuneteller’s advice so that they can become richer or get married more easily. Some hospital surgeons note that many women seek surgical cosmetic solutions because they lack self-confidence, but are not aware that people in general don’t like “artificial beauty.” Meanwhile, some women are just addicted to cosmetic surgeries, they add. Le Hanh, president of the HCMC Cosmetic Surgery Association, says many central and district hospitals have created their own plastic surgery departments to cater to rising public demand. He estimates that about 400 people come everyday to the clinics licensed by the Department of Health. Hanh notes that at present Vietnam has no training school for cosmetic surgeons, but the Hanoi Medical University and HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy offer short-term courses on plastic surgery. The Cho Ray Hospital and the HCMC Cosmetic Surgery Association have also launched training programs recently, Hanh adds. Hanh says he and other members of the association are highly concerned about the large number of beauty salons offering cosmetic surgeries without due permission. It’s dangerous for the customers because there are no health agencies to inspect the technology or medical equipment at such places. Hanh advises that people should only look for surgical cosmetic solutions when it’s really important and when any change suits their inborn conditions. Any cosmetic surgeon needs to have the eyes of an artist, he says, adding that “true beauty is something natural and pleasant.” Source: Tuoi Tre