Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said. Last week brought the North's first acknowledgment of an "explosive" outbreak, with experts warning it could wreak devastation in a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme. Drugs procured by the state were not reaching people in a timely and accurate way, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital's Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said. Kim ordered immediate deployment of the "powerful forces" of the army's medical corps to "stabilise the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City," it added. Although authorities had ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies were not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, Kim added, the agency said. Among their … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Kim orders military to stabilise supply of COVID-19 drugs
Uk proposes 6 year sentence for criticising islam
Navigating legal challenges in healthcare partnerships
Public-private partnership (PPP) is a mechanism and common practice to mobilise and encourage investment in areas promoted by governments. The main characteristic of such projects is that both private investors and public authorities share the risks and responsibilities in construction and operation. The public sector typically contributes only a small portion to these projects, with the private sector still in charge of construction and operation. The risks of these projects typically involve the phases of selection, approval, design, construction, financing, operation, and management phases. Over the years, Vietnam issued several decrees before the new Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment was promulgated in 2020 and took effect from January 2021. The law and accompanying decree guiding the implementation of the law have overcome and limited barriers to investment in the form of PPP, creating favourable conditions for such investment. PPP investment in health is one of … [Read more...] about Navigating legal challenges in healthcare partnerships
Narrowing the gap for PPPs in health
Le Minh Sang, health specialist at World Bank Vietnam Healthcare public-private partnerships (PPPs) can be classified into five types (see Figure 1) depending on the roles and responsibilities that the private sector takes. Each type has certain advantages and disadvantages. A managed equipment service PPP enables major equipment suppliers to own and manage all equipment required for health facility operations. Under an operation and management services PPP, a private partner is contracted to operate and manage a hospital, health facility, or health network in exchange for a management fee. Specialised services PPPs involve a government contract with a private partner to deliver specific services (dialysis, radiotherapy, laboratory testing) at public healthcare facilities. In a health facility PPP, the government retains control of clinical services, but the private sector provides some combination of the detailed design, construction, and refurbishment of infrastructure. And … [Read more...] about Narrowing the gap for PPPs in health
Health insurance payment for services using borrowed machines show inconsistency
Modern medical equipment in Vietnam National Cancer Hospital helps to improve disease treatment quality MoH informed that the demands on medical equipment of healthcare institutes in Vietnam lately have gone up significantly, while the investment from state budget, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan, the financial support, and the fund for operational development of each unit are all limited. Therefore, healthcare institutes have borrowed medical machines and devices from auction winners for medical supplies and chemicals to answer these needs. On April 12, 2018, the Health Ministry sent formal Dispatch No.2009/BYT-KHTC to Vietnam Social Security (VSS) regarding health insurance payment for technical services related to these borrowed machines. On October 2, 2018, the two units agreed on payment details for this form in Announcement No.1039/TB-BYT-BHXH. It clearly states that VSS continues to use health insurance to pay for technical services of patients using … [Read more...] about Health insurance payment for services using borrowed machines show inconsistency
NA chairman calls for labor cooperation between Vietnam, Laos
In a meeting with the Vietnamese community and businesses in Laos, per invitation of President of the Laotian National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane, various representatives said they wish for the Vietnamese government to continue actualizing policies so that commerce between the two countries could prosper. They also proposed for both Vietnam and Laos to foster labor cooperation and increase the number of yearly scholarships so Vietnamese nationals in Laos could go to Vietnam to study and receive medical diagnoses. Hue said Vietnam always encourages and provides opportunities for people to return to their country and invest in businesses. Vietnam also has support measures for the community in Laos to be "legally stable", as well as to preserve Vietnamese cultural characteristics. Labor cooperation between the two countries should be looked into, as many Vietnamese businesses in Laos currently lack workers, Hue said. He also requested Vietnam localities to provide scholarships … [Read more...] about NA chairman calls for labor cooperation between Vietnam, Laos
Remarks by PM Pham Minh Chinh at CSIS in Washington D.C
Prime Ministe Pham Minh Chinh addresses the Centre for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) in Washington D.C. (Photo: VNA) Washington D.C. (VNA) – Prime Ministe Pham Minh Chinh has delivered a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. during his ongoing working trip to US. The following is the full text of the speech. “SINCERITY, TRUST AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR A BETTER WORLD” Dear Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to visit the Center for Strategic and International Studies for the first time today, though this is far from the first time I hear of the CSIS, a top American think tank in the field of foreign strategies and policies and international issues. Seventy-seven years ago, President Ho Chi Minh, the national hero of Vietnam and great man of culture, prefaced the Declaration of Independence establishing the … [Read more...] about Remarks by PM Pham Minh Chinh at CSIS in Washington D.C