Social development
Public health
Laos plans to promote traditional medicines
Laos plans to develop its human resources in the traditional medicine sector, seeking to capitalise on a broad base of traditional knowledge and a wide range of natural medicinal compounds. Lao peoples have had a long history in the use of traditional medicines in the ...
NGOs may have stymied government health care: report
A new study examining the development of health care in post-conflict societies suggests that the influx of NGOs in Cambodia may have weakened the government health sector. The report, published last week by BioMed Central, compares Cambodia’s health care development after the fall of the ...
Saudi princess gives boost to measles vaccination drive
Saudi Arabian Princess Her Royal Highness Lamia bintMajet Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, says the organisation will provide about US$2.6 million to Laos in support of measles and rubella vaccinations this year. The measles and rubella vaccination control project under the National Immunisation ...
282 poor air quality days in capital in 2016
Dust concentration in the air, both in Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City, was several times higher in 2016 than the levels recommended by the World Health Organization, endangering resident’s health. In Hà Nội, the dust concentration reached up to 50,5 mg per cubic ...
How is medicine distributed in Vietnam?
The value of the medicine market in Vietnam was over $4 billion in 2015, while revenue is expected reach $10 billion by 2020. Nguyen Minh Hoang, a Grab taxi driver, felt dizzy and drove the car to a drugstore, got the medicine, paid and left. ...
City supports voluntary blood donations amid debate on draft law
While a pending draft law would require all Vietnamese to donate blood at least once a year, HCM City has set a target to have at least 220,000 citizens donate blood voluntarily this year. The city authority also targets having at least 94 per cent ...
Ministry reviews progress in health sector
Ministry of Health officials and personnel from around the country met on January 16 in Vientiane to review the Health Sector Governance and Nutrition Programme for 2015-2016 and discuss plans for the year ahead. Participants reported the progress of their health activities and shared future ...
Increase in drug-resistant TB in southwest
An increase in the number of resistant-TB cases has occurred in the southwestern region of Việt Nam, according to the head of the region’s national TB prevention and control office. At a conference on TB prevention held last week in Cần Thơ, Dr Nguyễn Thị ...
US builds blood centre for southern provinces
The US Embassy to Laos has built a blood centre in Champassak province as one of several major infrastructure assistance projects completed last year, at a total cost of over US$850,000. The new blood centre will provide emergency blood services to people in the southern ...
On the front lines of malaria elimination
Rural health centres throughout the country are leading the fight against the scourge of drug-resistant malaria. Can international organizations, local health officials and the government unite before the parasite spreads? Amid the sugar cane plantations and rice paddies of Kampong Speu, the Oral district health ...
