Last updated: 17:32 - September 20, 2006
Japanese-funded healthcare project launched in Mekong Delta http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/life/200906/life_japanese.htm
The Ministry of Health on September 19 launched a Japanese-funded project to improve healthcare services in the Mekong Delta through 2011.
The three-phase project, which has an investment of US $85 million , including US $70 million in Japanese non-refundable aid, will be implemented in 13 city and provinces in the region.
It will be directed at increasing the quality of healthcare services, developing human resources, improving existing hospitals and clinics, and providing medical treatment for the poor.
Pilot programmes will be deployed at several localities in the first phase of the project, which lasts for 18 months.
The Mekong Delta is one of the three poorest regions in Vietnam. It has a total of 490,000 poor households, accounting for 17.5% of the country's total.
The region's medical indicators, such as the maternal mortality rate and the number of people with diseases caused by bacteria, such as tuberculosis, diarrhoea and respiratory disease, are all higher than the national averages.
In addition, the Mekong Delta has the lowest proportion of medical workers to population and the least number of medical workers with post-graduate degrees, compared with other regions. (VNA)
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