SOCIAL IN BRIEF 29/4

12:10' 29/04/2008 (GMT+7)
Hanoi: 30 markets and restaurants closed
The Hanoi Department of Health on April 28 announced the names of 30 markets and restaurants that are temporarily closed for violating food hygiene standards in the past ten days.
The Department said there are many stores that sell unhygienic food which can spread cholera so the city will continue inspection over food stores and markets in the coming days.
Dr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of the Hanoi Health Department, said the number of hospitalized acute diarrhea patients is reducing, from around 100 patients a day in early April to 5-10 patients in recent days.
(Source: TP)
HCM City turns off 50% of public lights
The city has issued an instruction on power savings, under which 50% of public lights along streets and on parks will be turned off. However, traffic lights will not be turned off.
The city also asked families to restrict using electric equipment during the peak hours (6-10pm) and factories to reasonably arrange production activities.
(Source: Tuoi Tre)
Justice Ministry surveys appointment process in Ca Mau
The Chief Inspector of the Justice Ministry, Nguyen Sy Cuong, led a working group to the southern province of Ca Mau on April 28 to learn of the province’s appointment process.
Today, inspectors will work with officials of the Organizational Board of the Ca Mau Party Committee.
The inspection trip is conducted after the province’s Party Chief received VND100 million in bribes from an unnamed person to solicit for a position in the local government.
(Source: TP)
Faked medicines increases year by year
The volume of faked drugs is raising yearly on the market, reported the Vietnam Drug Administration. Last year faked medicines accounted for 3.30% of tested samples, the highest ratio in the past seven years.
Dr. Truong Quoc Cuong, Head of the Vietnam Drug Administration, said at a conference on developing the pharmaceutical industry held in Hanoi last week, that the Vietnamese pharmaceutical market reached $1.13 billion last year and it will reach $1.34 billion this year. Locally-made medicine volume satisfies 52.86% of the total demand.
Vietnamese drug producers have produced 27 groups of medicines under the World Health Organization’s classification. However, the local pharmaceutical industry is developing spontaneously.
There are some kinds of medicines are in surplus while many others must be imported. More than 90% of materials serving the pharmaceutical industry are imported.
Though a drug distributions system has been set up, the health sector can’t completely control drug prices on the market.
According to the Vietnam Drug Administration, drug prices will slightly increase from now to the year end due to the price increase of materials and inputs.
The Health Ministry said it is a top priority to develop the pharmaceutical industry to meet the need for drugs of Vietnamese people in the future and to stabilize the drug market.