A doctor checks the PET/CT scanner before operating it at Cho Ray Hospital. (Photo: SGGP) Exhaustedly searching places to get PET/CT scans In the past three days, Nguyen Dinh Hung, living in Binh Chanh District in HCMC, had to visit many hospitals around the city to find a place to take PET/CT scans for his mother, a patient suspected of having stomach cancer. At first, Hung went to HCMC Oncology Hospital, but the hospital said that it no longer had any radiopharmaceuticals to operate its scanner. Hung took his mother to Military Hospital 175 and then People's Hospital 115, but these two places also turned him down because their machines stopped working. Being told by his friends that only Cho Ray Hospital had a working scanner, he registered a PET/CT scan for his mother there. However, due to the overwhelming number of patients, it takes more than a month before his mother’s turn comes. "For cancer patients, a long waiting time may cause the disease to advance to a severe … [Read more...] about Shortage of radioactive materials needs to be resolved urgently
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HSBC optimistic about Vietnam stock market despite plunge
Though the benchmark VN-Index has lost nearly 19 percent this year, the bank said it was confident about the long-term prospects of the market as companies have been "on a roll" in terms of growth and profits in recent years. The average earnings per share of listed companies had grown by 35 percent last year, and while trading had dipped in the last few months, the Vietnamese market had surpassed Singapore and Indonesia to become the second largest in Southeast Asia behind only Thailand. Local retail investors accounted for around 87 percent of trading. Though foreigners had been mostly withdrawing from the market for nearly three years, they "have started to dip their toes into this market again" in the past few weeks. This was because only seven of the 30 biggest stocks on the main bourse, the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, had reached their foreign ownership limit. Overall the VN-Index had a foreign ownership limit of 44 percent, and current foreign holdings were at less … [Read more...] about HSBC optimistic about Vietnam stock market despite plunge
New bridge offers safe travel for thousands in poor Thanh Hoa commune
Thousands of residents in a poor commune in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa are calling for funding for a safer bridge. Suoi Khanh Bridge has deteriorated The remote mountainous commune of Co Lung in Ba Thuoc District home to a Thai ethnic group is located some 130 kilometres from Thanh Hoa City. Due to difficult terrain, travel has always been one of the biggest challenges for local people. Suoi Khanh Bridge lies on one of the most important routes in Co Lung Commune. The bridge that serves over 2,000 residents in four villages has now seriously deteriorated. According to the chairman of the Co Lung Commune People's Committee, Truong Van Thanh, the Suoi Khanh Bridge was built from wood in 1994. The 25-metre wooden bridge has deteriorated over time," the official said. "We’ve had to repair it many times, especially after flooding seasons, which meant hundreds of children could not travel to school while adults could not go to work." … [Read more...] about New bridge offers safe travel for thousands in poor Thanh Hoa commune
In Vietnam, little girl dies of snakebite as hospitals couldn’t find corresponding antivenom
A four-year-old Vietnamese girl has passed away after she was bitten by a venomous snake but no venom antiserum against the species was available for use to save her then, local authorities said. The little girl, S.T.N.N., died on Sunday, a week after being bitten by a Malayan krait snake, one of the venomous snake species, while sleeping at home in Phuoc Tan Commune, Son Hoa District, Phu Yen Province, located in the south-central region. N.'s mother found her daughter being bitten by the snake at 0:00 on May 16 and took the girl to the district health center immediately, the commune authorities said. Due to her critical condition, the girl was transferred to the Phu Yen Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital at 2:30 am the same day in a state of lethargy and difficulty breathing. Doctors later performed endotracheal intubation on the girl as she showed signs of apnea, said Dr. Phan Van Minh, the hospital director. They promptly transferred her to the provincial General … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, little girl dies of snakebite as hospitals couldn’t find corresponding antivenom
Purchasing power drops, food prices rise in Ho Chi Minh City
Businesses across Ho Chi Minh City have increased prices of essentials due to higher production costs despite consumer purchasing power having decreased by up to 25 percent, a survey of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has shown. Enterprises in Vietnam have issued warnings that food prices will continue to rise unless solutions are found to restrain surging food input costs, including raw materials, gasoline, and animal feed. As a case in point, cooking oil is now being sold 15-20 percent more expensive at supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City than at the beginning of the year, and 70-90 percent higher than the price of 2020. Notably, Tuong An cooking oil now sells for VND60,000-160,000 (US$2.6-$6.9) per liter, depending on the type, while a set of 10 chicken or duck eggs is offered at VND33,000-VND38,000 ($1.4-$1.64) at traditional markets. The rates are about 20 percent higher than earlier this year, and nearly double those of last year, mostly owing to higher production costs and … [Read more...] about Purchasing power drops, food prices rise in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam reports additional 1,323 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday
An additional 1,323 new Covid-19 infections were confirmed on Tuesday, raising the national tally to over 10.71 million, according to the Ministry of Health. According to the ministry's report, most of the new patients are locally-transmitted cases confirmed in 33 out of 63 localities in the country with some localities seeing the highest numbers including Hanoi (321), Vinh Phuc (98), Phu Tho (94), Yen Bai (58), and Quang Ninh (52). As of Tuesday evening, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to over 10.71 million. The country now stands 12th among 227 countries and territories worldwide in the number of infections. On May 24, an additional 6,495 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 9.41 million. On Tuesday evening, no deaths related to Covid-19 were announced, total fatalities stood at 43,076. By May 23, the country had injected more than 219 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including over … [Read more...] about Vietnam reports additional 1,323 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday