A Celebrity Cruises ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew on board berthed at Chan May port, the central province of Thua Thien - Hue on November 12. The passengers will visit several central localities, including Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam. According to Deputy Director General of Chan May Port Joint Stock Company Nguyen Van Chuong, cruise tourism has been on a good recovery, with many travel firms having registered to bring visitors to Chan May port. During January - September, the port welcomed 12 cruise ships which carried more than 13,000 travelers, he said, adding the port expects to host 10 more international cruise ships until the end of this year. Ngo Lam Thong, a US national, said while the ship docks at Chan May port for ten hours, he will visit the imperial citadel of Hue - a world heritage site to discover royal art and architecture. He said returning Vietnam after more than 20 years, he is delighted at the country's development and quality tourism service. Chan May port can accommodate 70,000 DWT vessels, and 225,000 GRT cruise ships. It is among 46 seaports in Southeast Asia selected by the Asia Cruise Association as a stopover for cruise ship. Chan May Port Joint Stock Company said 30 cruise ships with 48,000 passengers and 18,700 crew members have registered to dock at the port in 2024./.
Indonesia Aims to Boost Training of Medical Specialists Amid Healthcare Challenges
Indonesia's Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, emphasized the urgent need to speed up the training of medical specialists in the country, highlighting this as a key strategy to enhance the quality of public healthcare services.
According to Vietnam News Agency, Budi pointed out that the current rate of training doctors in Indonesia is not keeping pace with the country's population growth. As a result, the level of public healthcare services remains below desired standards. This shortfall in adequately trained medical personnel is a significant challenge for Indonesia, particularly as the country also grapples with the task of training enough specialist doctors for its new capital, Nusantara (IKN).
To address these issues, the Minister announced a plan to link 300 reputable medical facilities with medical schools. This initiative will allow students to gain practical experience during their studies. With the implementation of this program, Indonesia aims to train over 30,000 medical specialists each year, significantly increasing the current rate of specialist training.
Additionally, Budi highlighted Indonesia's policy of sending doctors abroad for skill enhancement. This strategy is also intended to reduce the trend of Indonesians seeking medical treatment in foreign countries. It is estimated that around 2 million Indonesians travel annually to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand for medical treatments and recuperation.
The minister's call for expedited training and the new initiatives underscore Indonesia's commitment to improving its healthcare system. By enhancing the training and capabilities of medical specialists, Indonesia aims to not only improve the quality of healthcare services within the country but also to reduce the dependence on medical services abroad.
27th ASEAN Federation of Cardiology Congress to take place in Hanoi next month
Hanoi: The 27th Congress of the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology (AFCC2023) will take place in Hanoi from November 2 to 5.
The AFCC2023, themed "Cardiology at the Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities", is expected to welcome over 2,000 local and international participants, including 300 leading cardiovascular experts as guest speakers.
The event, hosted by the Vietnam National Heart Association, will focus on cardiovascular disease management in the context of multiple co-morbidities, newly advanced interventions and technology, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, the limited resources of ASEAN and collaboration with other developed foreign partners and countries.
This is an important event for Vietnam's cardiovascular industry, and also a good opportunity for doctors in Vietnam and in the region to exchange and update knowledge and professional skills.
The congress is also an opportunity to spread health messages to the public in the fight against increasing cardiovascular diseases in Vietnam, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of cardiovascular health care for Vietnamese people.
According to the 2022 Global Burden of Disease report, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Each year, it claims 19.5 million lives, accounting for one-third of deaths from all causes.
A worrying reality is that the incidence and mortality from cardiovascular disease is increasing rapidly in low- and lower-middle-income countries (accounting for 75% of total deaths), including ASEAN countries.
According to data from the World Heart Federation, it is estimated that each year in the entire ASEAN region, about 4 million people die from cardiovascular disease.
In Vietnam alone, statistics from the Ministry of Health show that about 200,000 people die from cardiovascular disease every year, accounting for 33% of deaths. The burden of disease and treatment costs has also increased significantly.
Vietnam is also a country with a high rate of hypertension, one in four adults has high blood pressure. Meanwhile, high blood pressure increases the risk of death from stroke by four times and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by three times compared to people without the disease./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
Indonesia works to tackle risk of monkeypox outbreak
Jakarta: The Indonesian Ministry of Health confirmed the presence of seven active cases of monkeypox (mpox) in the country, with all of them detected in Jakarta, as reported by the national news agency Antara.
According to the ministry's Technical Staff for Health Transformation, Dr Ngabila Salama, the cases were from local transmission, even though one of the patients had a history of traveling abroad.
She further revealed that the patients are men in the age bracket of 25-35 years that had contracted the viral disease from sexual contact. They are currently undergoing isolation at designated hospitals as part of the mpox management protocol.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health and the Jakarta Provincial Government are carrying out measures to detect, prevent, and respond to prevent an outbreak, she noted./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
Brazilian leader released from hospital after hip surgery
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to his residence on Sunday, two days after he had hip replacement surgery. (Hip Replacement)
Brazilian presidential palace It said in a statement that Mr. Lula, 77, had been staying at Alvorada Palace, the presidential residence. and will continue to recuperate after surgery. After that, Mr. Lula posted a message via the X platform or Twitter originally saying He will work from home for a few weeks, and he thanked those who expressed concern for him during surgery. and also jokingly said He will recover and return to do more for Brazil. and will compete in the marathon as well
Mr. Lula had surgery on Friday. and the doctor said The surgery went well. But he will need a walker to help him walk. and doctors believe He will recover in time to travel to the United Nations climate conference in Dubai. of the United Arab Emirates In late November.
Source: Thai News Agency
HCM City delegation provides health check-ups for needy people in Cambodia
The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA) and the Union of Friendship Organisations in Ho Chi Minh City have visited, provided health check-ups and medicines, and presented gifts to Cambodians and those of Vietnamese origin in difficult circumstances in the neighbouring country.
The annual programme, which took place from September 22-26, has benefited 750 households in Phnom Penh capital city, and Kampot and Takeo provinces of Cambodia.
Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang emphasised the significance of the programme, which, he said, has contributed to tightening the friendship and traditional relationship between the two countries.
Dinh Thi Phuong Thao, head of the delegation, who is also Vice Chairwoman of the SCOVA’s HCM City chapter, said the programme has been carried out over the past 10 years, aiming to provide health care for Vietnamese in Cambodia.
Unlike the previous years, the 2023 programme has offered necessities and food to people in the country, she continued.
Within the framework of the event, the delegation presented a Vietnamese bookshelf worth 5 million VND (204 USD) to Cambodia-Vietnam friendship primary school in Takeo./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
S. Korea’s weekly COVID-19 infections decline for 4 consecutive weeks
The number of coronavirus patients in South Korea dropped for the fourth consecutive week last week in the wake of the downgrade of the disease's infection level, authorities said Thursday.
A total of 12,834 infections were reported for the week of Sept. 3-9, down from 17,613 the previous week, according to the data by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
The numbers were based on data collected from 527 sample surveillance institutions across the country.
The South Korean government downgraded the infection level of COVID-19 to Class 4, the lowest level on par with the seasonal flu, starting Aug. 31.
Since then, the country has operated a sample-based positive test reporting system involving 527 local surveillance organizations, suspending the yearslong full-scale testing system.
Based on the new reporting scheme, weekly infections have been on a steady decline since the second week of August, when there were 31,558, according to the data.
Source: Yonhap News Agency