Public health

A national road safety action plan established in 2011 is severely off target and road deaths could surpass 3,200 by 2020 unless drastic action is taken, the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) warned on 30 September. In total, 2,226 people were killed in 4,645 recorded traffic ...

Diseases linked to pollution caused by a fast growing network of coal-fired power plants kill around 4,300 people in Vietnam each year, according to a new estimate by scientists.    A study released at a conference in Hanoi on 29 September claims that once all planned power projects become ...

Drugmaker Novartis AG has begun a programme in Kenya, Ethiopia and Vietnam to supply 15 low-cost medicines to fight chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.   The Swiss-based pharmaceuticals group said on 24 September its scheme would supply drugs for just $1 per treatment per month to ...

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 ...

Vietnamese are consuming too much starch and sugar and only half the amount of daily vegetables recommended, partly because of worries about pesticides, experts said.   A recent survey by the National Institute of Nutrition found a person in Vietnam consumes 200 grams of vegetables on average ...

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, ...

The privately-owned Mekong Hospital in Saphangmuek village, Xaythany district, Vientiane, opened its doors to the public on 15 August. Hospital Director Mr Huangsubin said the Mekong Hospital will not only treat illnesses but will investigate the prevention of disease and carry out research, while also providing ...

Outdoor air pollution contributes to the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people in China every year, or about 4,400 people a day, according to a newly released scientific paper. The paper maps the geographic sources of China’s toxic air and concludes that much of the smog that ...

Over the past three years, an international collaboration facilitated by the Singapore Institute of Mental Health has improved the capacity of mental health workers in China, Indonesia and Thailand to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One PTSD sufferer was 60-year old Nucharee, a farmer and ...

By banning alcohol sales near universities and technical colleges, Thailand is putting the nation at the forefront of efforts in Asia to curb booze consumption. Under amendments to the Alcohol Control Act endorsed by the government and to be implemented nationwide, bars, clubs and retailers will ...