Public health
Health care policy and administration
Laos polio prevention campaign gets booster shot with IPV
The Laos Ministry of Health has launched the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) programme to further boost immunity against polio for children under 12 months of age. A ceremony to launch the national introduction of the IPV took place at the National Culture Hall on 15 October, ...
Owners of clinics learn about Lao healthcare law
Many private hospitals and medical clinics in Laos are charging excessive rates for medical treatment because the owners of these hospitals and clinics do not have enough understanding about the Law on Healthcare. In Laos, there are some 17 private hospitals and more than 1,000 clinics ...
ThaiHealth spending faces scrutiny
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered authorities to look into the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) to ensure its funds are being spent to improve people’s health and promote the well-being of the general public. Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on 12 October the premier’s order for comprehensive ...
From ambulances to funerals, volunteers prop up Myanmar healthcare
Volunteers prop up many aspects of the Myanmar healthcare system. This culture of self-reliance is partially a legacy of the military era where vast spending on defence came at the expense of health or education. While budgets have increased since 2011’s end of outright army rule, Myanmar ...
Dengue patients overwhelm hospital for tropical diseases
The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases is struggling to cope with a flood of dengue fever patients who insist on getting treated there, instead of local hospitals and clinics. Dr Nguyen Trung Cap, head of the Ha Noi-based hospital’s emergency department, said since the monsoon began ...
Myanmar tobacco products to display warning pictures
Packaging for cigarettes made in Myanmar will soon bear photos and text cautioning against the deleterious health effects of consuming tobacco products, Health Minister U Than Aung has said. “We have drawn up a notification to include health warnings in pictures and text covering 75 percent ...
Gov’t eyes ban on asbestos
Cambodia may soon join other countries in banning the import and use of asbestos, which is known to have serious health consequences, officials have said at a symposium organised by the Ministry of Labour and Union Aid Abroad, an Australian aid NGO. Speaking at the event, ...