Land Area: 331,689 (Sq/Km)
Capital: Hanoi
Official Language: Vietnamese
Refugees: 2,357 (UNHCR, 2005)
Literacy: 90% (UNDP, 2006. Adult rate, age 15 and older)
Under 5 Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births): 19 (UNICEF, 2005)
VietnamSituation OverviewThe legacy of war in Vietnam has left the country crippled. There was widespread destruction of agriculture, social services, roads and other basic infrastructure. The country’s susceptibility to natural disasters, particularly flooding, is further affecting the livelihoods of those in poorer regions. Despite notable achievements in reducing poverty, particularly over the last decade, serious obstacles to development still remain. Vietnam’s development strategy focuses heavily on health, with priority given to diseases that affect the poor. Blindness is an acute health problem affecting over 1 million people, particularly the rural poor and internally displaced people. Cataract disease accounts for around 70% of blindness.
|
|
Our current work in VietnamEvery year in Vietnam approximately 400,000 new cases of cataract blindness are reported. The majority of afflicted people live in poor and rural areas. Blindness often proves to be a death sentence for these vulnerable people, with reports showing that they frequently die a few years after losing their sight. Austcare aims to improve the health of the rural population in Vietnam by helping to rectify the lack of essential medical resources and expertise required to counter cataract disease. A group of volunteer Australian doctors work with local Vietnamese medical professionals and provide travelling clinics in various provinces in partnership with Austcare. They select the most poor and vulnerable people and perform a 20 minute cataract operation on them. Approximately 24 hours after the operation, the patient will again be able to see. Our Partner organisation is the Vietnamese-Australian Buddhist Assistance Trust Inc. (VABAT). For more information on VABAT please click here. HighlightsJuly 2007: Austcare targeted 2 provinces in the south of Vietnam and completed successful cataract operations on 316 patients. Since 2003, Austcare’s projects in Vietnam have restored sight to more than 2,500 people.
|
Nguyen Thi NamThe most striking thing about Nguyen Thi Nam is her wide toothless smile, though she refuses to smile for the camera because she is ashamed not to have any teeth. Nguyen, who is 73, lives in a tiny one-room hut made of bamboo, located off a mud-soaked road in a rural area. She had lost all sight in her right eye, and her left eye is also weakening from the onset of cataract. Nguyen heard about the sight operations from doctors who went around the town announcing the opportunity. She walked to the hospital and registered, despite being extremely scared. It was all worth it, because her right eye was successfully operated upon. She is grateful to Australians for providing her with new eyesight. Nguyen sells products on the street to earn a living and makes about 3,000 Dong per day (around 25 Australian cents). The operation has helped with selling merchandise because she can see the money when it is exchanged and she no longer bumps into poles and falls in puddles when she is trying to get around.
|