VietNam Society

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Rural electricity rate increase proposed

EVN Ha Noi engineers maintain a rural electrical network in Ha Noi's Hoai Duc District. The city's Department of Industry and Trade has proposed an increase of 15 per cent in electricity rates in rural areas. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Ha

HA NOI — The Ha Noi Department of Industry and Trade has proposed a 15-per-cent increase in electricity rates charged to pumping stations, schools and industrial users in the capital city's rural areas.

Without the rate increase, electricity companies serving these areas would suffer increasing losses, said Pham Trung Son, deputy head of the department, who signed the proposal.

Under Ministry of Trade and Industry Circular No 08 on electricity rates for 2010, these electricity companies buy electricity from the Electricity of Viet Nam Group at VND703 (US$0.04) per kWh and then distribute electricity to pumping stations at a maximum rate of VND717 per kWh.

The industry and trade department proposal is that this rate ceiling should be raised to VND770 per kWh.

Current rates created losses of VND15-20 million ($770 – 1,025) per month for a single enterprise, said Dam Tien Thang, head of the department's electricity management unit, noting that there were about 110 such businesses trading in electricity in 80 communes throughout Ha Noi.

Craft villages such as Trieu Khuc, La Phu and Duong Lieu, with high demand for electricity for production, generated even greater losses, Thang said, requiring electricity enterprises to invest heavily in transformers and other infrastructure for electricity transmission and distribution.

Thang argued that while the current model of retailing electricity through non-State enterprises in rural areas aimed at demonopo-lising electricity distribution, rate restrictions prevented these enterprises from operating profitably.

Nguyen Di Sinh, who runs a business in Duong Lieu Village, said he wasn't aware of the proposal to raise electricity rates.

"Current electricity rates are already too high for us," Sinh said. "If the price increases, we certainly will have to increase our product prices accordingly."

The Ha Noi Department of Industry and Trade has also proposed that the ministry issue guidance on procedures, responsibilities and time frame for refunding infrastructure maintenance costs incurred by enterprises operating local electricity distribution networks and transformer stations. — VNS

HCMC hands out syringe to drug users

Workers from the local Preventive Health Center carefully pick up discarded syringes at Go Dua cemetery in HCMC’s Thu Duc District

Photo: Tuoi Tre

This program is sponsored by the World Bank (WB), the Vietnamese government and other international organizations in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City has launched the massive Syringe Exchange, with the Committee for AIDS Prevention estimating that around 2.5 million new syringes will be distributed to drug users this year.

HCMC is increasingly being littered by syringes, indicating an alarming rise in intravenous drug use.

Organizers believe the program will help contain the spread of HIV just like condom distribution programs targeted at sex workers.

Thu Duc, one of the main target districts, has taken the initiative with its Preventive Health Center especially focusing its efforts on Go Dua Cemetery, the good place for drug users.

Every Monday and Friday afternoons, health workers from the center, Minh Thu, “T.”, and “L.” set off to do a job very few dare.

Armed with sterile gloves, tongs, and toxic-waste containers, they regularly visit Go Dua. There, unperturbed by the accumulation of garbage and human waste around them, they carefully pick up discarded syringes that lie scattered around the place.

Voong, a local resident who is distressed by the situation, lamented: “Even the trees must be infected with HIV from having been stabbed repeatedly with syringes. I just hope people don’t accidentally step on an infected needle.”

Thien, a local boy, enjoys watching the team carry out their good deed which he finds highly unusual.

“We not only pick up discarded syringes, we also distribute sterile ones to drug users to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases,” they told Tuoi Tre.

Son, a young recidivist who underwent a detoxification program in 2008, said he uses four or five syringes a week provided by health workers. Tien, another, uses 12-13, while a third man uses up to 30.

Nghi, whose family is aware of his addiction, receives the sterile syringes at home from the workers.

Hung, a young addict, says: “Although we realize the risks involved in sharing and reusing needles, we cannot afford to buy new ones. We believe this program can decrease the risk of our contracting HIV.”

Thu Duc Health Center is planning to set up 12 needle exchange points soon.

Distributing syringes is aimed at reducing the spread of blood-borne diseases and has been implemented in several countries since the 1970s, first to curb the spread of hepatitis and later as part of widespread efforts to contain the AIDS pandemic.

Appetite, sleep drugs threat to children's health

HCM CITY — When Tran Hoai Phuong of District 3 bought appetite stimulants for her daughter when she complained of not being hungry, she expected a positive result.

On the first day, her daughter ate more food. But on the third day she became tired, lost her appetite and began suffering from a bout of diarrhoea that lasted three days.

She was then admitted to the city's Paediatric Hospital No.2 for treatment.

Phuong said that she bought the drugs for her daughter following a friend's advice.

Like Phuong, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang of District 7 also bought an appetite stimulant, called Sterogy, for her eight-month-old son to take.

She said her son, who weight only 6kg, did not like to eat.

After seeing information on an online forum, Phuong decided to buy the drug.

While her son depends on the drug and will not eat without taking it, Trang said the drug did not help him gain weight.

Many parents buy such appetite-stimulants after seeing interesting adverts on TV or after receiving advice from friends.

These kind of drugs have become more and more popular on the market.

Drugs that are used to help children sleep well, grow taller and increase intelligence are sold in many drugstores or via TV.

Pharmacy owners in HCM City said that stimulants like Peritol, Corticoides, Inpadin and Dobenzic are the top sellers.

Doctors said the city's Paediatric Hospital No. 1 and No. 2 had been treating many children for serious conditions caused by the intake of such drugs.

Dr Nguyen Thi Hoa of Paediatric Hospital No.1's nutrition ward said around 3,000 children per month were being treated.

Of that number, 70 per cent were admitted because of a loss of appetite.

Dr Do Thi Ngoc Diep, deputy head of the city Nutrition Centre, said the centre was also treating children for oedema, a condition caused by an overuse of appetite stimulants.

Children who use these drugs are at a risk of slow development, according to doctors, who say they can cause constipation, diarrhoea, stunted growth and oedema.

Children lose appetite because of varying reasons, doctors say. Parents should not buy these drugs, and instead should take children to nutrition centres or hospitals for check-ups or treatments. — VNS

Work finishes on Thu Thiem tunnel

Work has finished on Thu Thiem Tunnel, Ho Chi Minh City’s first underwater tunnel, which crosses the Saigon River.

The tunnel will connect the city’s District 1 with the Thu Thiem urban area in District 2. It is designed to ease traffic congestion in the city.

In order to complete the project as scheduled, 600 workers and engineers have worked around the clock on the ground and dozens of meters under the bed of Sai Gon River.

The project management board arranged staff to work in three shifts.

Each shift worked to finish the tunnel every day, including weekends and holidays.

According to Japanese contractor Obayashi, all systems, including water supply, lighting, fire prevention, ventilation vehicle-count and others, meet international standards.

The tunnel is the longest in Southeast Asia with a total length of 1,490 meters.

It can withstand a six-point Richter-scale earthquake and has a 100-year lifespan. It is designed to transport 45,000 automobiles and 15,000 motorcycles every day.

The tunnel is part of the East – West Highway and Water Environment Project. The contractor said it would be open to traffic in the second quarter of next year. The entire East – West Highway will open three months later.

Work finishes on Thu Thiem tunnel