France Helps Train 200 Vietnam Neurologists

A group of seven French doctors Jan 17 started a course to train 200 neurologists for Vietnam cities and provinces, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Jan 18. The three-day course which is being carried out at Ho Chi Minh City-based Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, aims to offer latest knowledge about endoscopic surgical skills to treat diseases of nerves, epilepsy, ventricular dilation and nerve pain. “This is a good chance for local doctors to improve their professional skills in the field,” Francis Xavier Roux, head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Hospital Sainte- Anne, Paris, France said. The Ministry of Health estimates nearly 30,000 Vietnamese people go abroad for medical treatment per year, with total spending of more than $1 billion. The Southeast Asian country targets to train 20,000 doctors abroad in the next ten years. (Tuoi Tre – Youth Jan 18 p9)