Doctor Appointments - 7 Ways to Get One Quickly

Being a medical receptionist at your doctor's office is not an easy job. The 'phones ring constantly. The receptionist is expected to prioritize requests for appointments so that people with urgent medical problems are seen before those who can afford to wait. Most days there are fewer available appointments slots than there are people calling to demand one of these fast appointments.

If you need to see your doctor quickly you have to convince the receptionist that you merit a fast appointment. Here are 7 ways to do this:

1. Speak calmly and courteously. Treating the receptionist like an obstacle or a being of lesser intelligence will not help your cause. Learn the receptionist's name in advance and use it when you call the office. "Hi Marilyn, this is Joan Smith calling..." You want to be seen as a fellow human being, not just another demanding, disembodied voice on the 'phone.

2. Be willing to describe your medical issue to the receptionist. They're trained to respect your confidentiality and the doctor expects them to assess appointment requests so that more urgent cases are seen first. When the receptionist asks, "Why do you need to see the doctor?" view this request for information as a golden opportunity to (persuasively) explain why you need to be seen quickly.

3. Describe your symptoms using objective details. When did the symptoms start? How high is the fever? Tell the receptionist if you have an underlying medical condition. A severe cough is a more serious symptom if you have chronic asthma.

4. Did your doctor tell you to come back if you experience "X" symptom? If so, tell the receptionist this because it means your request for an appointment is the doctor's idea. That's all any receptionist needs to justify giving you an appointment. Warning: Never lie about whether your doctor told you to come back. The receptionist will find out and your credibility will be destroyed.

5. If the receptionist does not agree that you need a fast appointment you may ask to speak to the doctor (or request that the doctor give you a call back) so you can describe your symptoms to him or her. Another idea is to respectfully ask the receptionist if they would please ask your doctor whether you should be seen quickly in view of your symptoms?

6. If your doctor is 100% booked (and has told the receptionist s/he'll be keel hauled if any unauthorized appointments are scheduled) then a good strategy may be to persuade the receptionist that you really need the appointment and then ask if you can see another doctor in the same practice?

7. If no one at your doctor's office can see you then your options are to wait until your doctor is available or seek treatment elsewhere. You may either attend a walk-in clinic or (if the problem is genuinely severe and urgent) the Emergency department at a local hospital. In these cases, it is especially important that you bring your health journal with you because no doctor will treat you without asking you for your basic medical history. If you're seen at an Emergency department, ask them to send a copy of any test results to your regular doctor's office.

Most medical receptionists are caring (if somewhat rushed) people who want to be helpful. However, there are exceptions. My daughter had a couple of bad experiences with a receptionist at our dentist's office. She was so annoyed that she quit going to that office. When I told my dentist what happened he was really troubled to hear about my daughter's experiences. His immediate response was, "We try to train people so that doesn't happen but sometimes problems occur. If she'd asked to speak to me I would have rectified the situation immediately." The lesson I took from this is that if you feel you've been reasonable but the receptionist has not, remain calm and discuss the matter with your doctor.

by virginia Menzie

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How to Fight High Cholesterol in 5 Seconds Or Less

If you have high cholesterol, then you have probably been instructed by your doctor about a variety of ways to treat it. Some options include altering your diet and taking medicine to change the way your body interacts with foods and other stimuli to get a lower cholesterol measurement.

However, one of the most frustrating things about regulating cholesterol and fighting high cholesterol for many people is that it just plain takes too long. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a daily battle, but sometimes the results can take weeks or even months to manifest themselves. Often, people find that altering their diets is just too hard, and that adding in exercise when they have gone without it for years can be seriously tedious.

But what if you could do something in just about five seconds a day that could potentially lower your cholesterol dramatically in addition to potentially resolving a number of other health problems like migraines, arthritis, joint stiffness and macular degeneration? Now, before you get carried away, this does *not* mean that you can forego all of the other stuff that is hard and takes more time. But imagine if you also had one thing that you were doing that was easy, fast and relatively inexpensive. You would probably stay more motivated about the whole thing, wouldn't you? Of course you would. And that is where omega fatty acids come in.

Studies have shown that people who have adequate omega levels tend to have lower cholesterol and tend to be able to lower their cholesterol more quickly than people who have omega 3 deficiencies (and that's most of us!). Omega's are found in fatty fish like tuna and salmon, but in order to get enough omega 3 via diet alone, you would have to eat nearly 2 pounds of fish a day. Not surprisingly, most people prefer to supplement their omega 3 levels via an omega 3 dietary supplement rather than with tank-full after tank-full of fish.

Omega 3 fish oil supplements may not replace your cholesterol medication, and they cannot be taken in place of a healthy diet. However, they can speed the changes in your body and your physiological systems that will ultimately make you more healthy.

For more information on omega 3's and fish oil benefits, access http://www.omega-3.us.

Michael Byrd has over 25 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has shown him many fish oil health benefits as well as the benefits of using natural whole foods to help you look younger, feel better and stay healthy. Michael will even send you a Free CD

by michael byld

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The Latest About Heart Health

There is always new information coming out about how to protect our heart health and reduce our risk of age-related diseases like atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. The importance of being physically active is not news, but the role played by calcium and trans-fats in the bloodstream is news, to many people.

The plaques that form along the interior of the arterial walls are composed of fats, calcium and various amounts of tissue. Just a few years ago, fats or high triglycerides in the bloodstream were considered the greatest, if not the only, risk factor for plaque buildup.

High cholesterol has been cited and blamed for years, as well. But, a growing amount of evidence indicates that high cholesterol, alone, is not enough to increase a person's risk of atherosclerosis.

First of all, the fats must be oxidized or hardened. Most fats and cholesterol move through the bloodstream quickly, too quickly to become oxidized. Dietary fats are broken down by enzymes. Cholesterol is converted to bile. Everything travels along relatively quickly.

There is one type of dietary fat, however, that is not metabolized by the body's enzymes. That type of fat has been named "trans-fat".

For heart health, it is best to avoid trans-fat, which is why you will now see it listed in the nutrition facts of foods containing it. You can also read the ingredients label and look for partially hydrogenated oils, of any type.

If you see the ingredient, there are trans-fatty acids in the product, even if they are not listed on the nutrition facts. Food manufacturers are not required to list the amount of trans-fatty acids if they are present in very small amounts.

Because trans-fatty acids are not metabolized by the body's enzymes, they stay in the bloodstream longer, which makes it more likely that they will become oxidized or hardened.

According to the latest research from Germany, milk and dairy products have an adverse effect on heart health, partly because of the calcium that they contain and partly because of the type of protein they contain.

Calcium is essential for bone development and regular intake is recommended for the prevention of osteoporosis. But when calcium is consumed, other nutrients, especially vitamin K2 must be present. Vitamin K2's job is to insure that the calcium ends up in the right places and does not adhere to the walls of the arteries.

One of the questions that many people have about heart health has to do with whether or not the plaques can be dissolved. We know more now than we did in years past about the healthiest diets. So, 10 years ago, we may have been eating the wrong things.

So, if some calcification or oxidation of fats is present in our arteries, can it be cleaned out? Right now, members of the mainstream medical community would probably say "no". But, a doctor of naturopathic medicine might say "yes".

by patsy hamilton

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Why Are Polar Heart Rate Monitors So Popular?

Polar has a superb reputation for its heart rate monitors, and for good reason. Since 1977, when it was established in Finland, it has been making mainly heart monitors and little else. In addition, it has continued to drive forward with the latest technology, to the extent that its monitor are now sometimes referred to as fitness computers.

So popular are the company's products that today it employs 1,200 people at 26 subsidiaries around the world, and supplies more than 35,000 retail outlets in over 80 countries.

An example of its advanced technology is the FT80 monitor, which incorporates advanced computer software that guides you through a work-out session based on your own training habits. Other features include the ability to measure the number of calories you have burned during your work-out and a fitness test that measures your aerobic fitness at rest.

Another example is the S725, which is aimed particularly at cyclists. This can actually measure and display your speed, the distance your have covered during a training session and even your elevation.

Thanks to its emphasis on technology, Polar's many advances tend to filter down very quickly to its cheaper models, which are continually being upgraded, and some of these pack a huge number of features for their price.

Thus, the hugely popular F6 enables users to set a target heart rate zone, and during training an alarm will sound whenever they fall outside the zone. It also tells their energy expenditure, both for an individual training session and for a longer period, allowing them to set long-term weight loss goals. The monitor even guides them through a warm-up session that is appropriate for their level of fitness.

BY MARTIN ROTH

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Fish Oil For Cardiovascular Health - Omega 3 For High Cholesterol

Omega 3 or fish oil is polyunsaturated fat found in fish oil, fish, and in food supplements form. It typically has of a mixture of polyunsaturated fatty acids which include docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (ECA). Polyunsaturated fats, especially DHA and EPA, are heart friendly fats since they don't promote atherosclerosis related with heart disease causes. Previous studies have shown that a person who is taking omega 3 has reduced the risk of sudden death from cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have indicated that it can as well lower the risk for cardiovascular diseases by improving the lipids of our body. So, does this Omega 3 help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels?

The common dose tested in these studies ranges about 900 milligrams to 5 grams each day of a combination of DHA and EPA. To get this amount of polyunsaturated fats, one needs to consume many fish. Therefore, food supplements are usually used. Ingesting 900 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids every day resulted in a four percent drop off in triglyceride levels after five to six months. The average dose used which was effective in most studies was about two to four grams, and this had resulted in decrease in triglycerides for about twenty five to forty-five percent. Omega-3 fatty acid's effectiveness on triglycerides is dose dependent; this means that the more omega-3 fatty acids ingested the lower triglyceride levels in our body will fall. This will work best if you follow a healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids seemed to affect newly consumed triglycerides more. Moreover, people with high triglyceride levels (more than 500 mg / dL) appear to gain the most benefit from omega-3 supplementation.

Even though it could lower triglyceride levels, it can slightly elevate low density lipoproteins (also known as "bad" cholesterol or LDL). However, this change is modest and could range from three to ten percent. On the other hand, high density lipoproteins (also known as the "good" cholesterol or HDL) don't appear to be affected by omega-3 supplementation, if not increased to some extent.

Omega 3 fatty acids are available as a supplement or as a prescription at any nutritional store or local pharmacy. Just a gram of omega 3 supplement a day could cause triglycerides to decrease and would help prevent sudden death from cardiovascular diseases. An average of 4 grams of omega 3 fatty acids is normally used to lower triglycerides in people with elevated triglyceride levels. It is suggested that people taking more than three grams each day must consult a health care provider, because high doses of omega 3 fatty acids could decrease the platelets that may cause the occurrence of bleeding more easily.

You have to know that prescribed omega-3 fatty acids have certain amount of DHA and EPA. They are purified and carefully rid of impurities like mercury, trans-fats, and other contaminants. Supplements purchased OTC are classified as "foods". Therefore, they don't have to go through the efficacy studies or thorough purification processes that prescribed drugs have to go undergo.

by raymond thomas

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How to Fight High Cholesterol in 5 Seconds Or Less

If you have high cholesterol, then you have probably been instructed by your doctor about a variety of ways to treat it. Some options include altering your diet and taking medicine to change the way your body interacts with foods and other stimuli to get a lower cholesterol measurement.

However, one of the most frustrating things about regulating cholesterol and fighting high cholesterol for many people is that it just plain takes too long. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a daily battle, but sometimes the results can take weeks or even months to manifest themselves. Often, people find that altering their diets is just too hard, and that adding in exercise when they have gone without it for years can be seriously tedious.

But what if you could do something in just about five seconds a day that could potentially lower your cholesterol dramatically in addition to potentially resolving a number of other health problems like migraines, arthritis, joint stiffness and macular degeneration? Now, before you get carried away, this does *not* mean that you can forego all of the other stuff that is hard and takes more time. But imagine if you also had one thing that you were doing that was easy, fast and relatively inexpensive. You would probably stay more motivated about the whole thing, wouldn't you? Of course you would. And that is where omega fatty acids come in.

Studies have shown that people who have adequate omega levels tend to have lower cholesterol and tend to be able to lower their cholesterol more quickly than people who have omega 3 deficiencies (and that's most of us!). Omega's are found in fatty fish like tuna and salmon, but in order to get enough omega 3 via diet alone, you would have to eat nearly 2 pounds of fish a day. Not surprisingly, most people prefer to supplement their omega 3 levels via an omega 3 dietary supplement rather than with tank-full after tank-full of fish.

Omega 3 fish oil supplements may not replace your cholesterol medication, and they cannot be taken in place of a healthy diet. However, they can speed the changes in your body and your physiological systems that will ultimately make you more healthy.

For more information on omega 3's and fish oil benefits, access http://www.omega-3.us.

Michael Byrd has over 25 years of education and experience in the fields of physical therapy, health, fitness and nutrition. His pursuit of wellness has shown him many fish oil health benefits as well as the benefits of using natural whole foods to help you look younger, feel better and stay healthy. Michael will even send you a Free CD

by michael byrd

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Symptoms of Autism and Different Autistic Spectrum Disorders

The symptoms of autism typically include - lack of eye contact, lack of interest in objects or things or even people, lack of communication skills, disinterest in relationships and social interaction, restricted interests in activities and play, mental retardation in several cases, and occasional savant skills.

Autism is a disorder that affects the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children, marked by serious difficulties in interacting and communicating with other people; and with other symptoms like constantly repeating certain actions or behaviors, and having intense interests restricted to only particular things or topics.

However, autism is one of a range of similar diseases that constitute the autism spectrum disorders. They are referred to, professionally, as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), and they are about five in number, autism or classic autistic disorder being one of them. The others are Rett's syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger's syndrome, and Childhood Developmental Disorder (CDD).

What distinguishes one disorder from the other is the severity of the autism symptoms that are present in the sufferers of each. In some cases, the symptoms are more severe, leading to loss of control over bodily functions, as is the case with Childhood Developmental Disorder.

Rett's syndrome is particularly of interest because it appears to occur only in girls and can be relentless enough to result in death. In some cases, the patient only has a few of the symptoms that characterize autism, but not enough for a full diagnosis. These are given the PDD-NOS designation.

by elliott snow

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Australian actress to promote free eye surgeries

Australian actress Jessica McNamee visited the central province of Quang Nam early this week to see first hand the free eye surgery program funded by Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) at work.

The star of Packed to the Rafters, an Australian family-oriented comedy-drama television series, on Monday visited 86-yearold Pham Thi Thong of Que An Commune in the province’s Que Son District.

Thong had been blinded by cataracts in both eyes for the last two years. McNamee escorted the patient to the Dai Loc General Hospital, where the FHF had helped build the Eye Department in 2007, for a free eye operation.

On Wednesday, McNamee took the patient back to her house and removed the bandage from her eyes, together with doctors from Dai Loc General Hospital.

"It's just amazing that I can see the life-changing difference that the Fred Hollows could make. I’m so happy that she can see now and excited to go back and tell other Australian people about the foundation's work in Vietnam," she said.

In June, McNamee had helped raise funds for the FHF through the entertainment reality show “Dancing with the stars.”

She will become an ambassador for the FHF after this visit to Vietnam, the foundation office in Hanoi said.

Since 2006, the FHF has joined Thanh Nien’s “Sight for life” program, which offers free operations for poor cataract patients with a donation of 1,200 artificial lenses and VND480 million so far.

For more than 15 years, FHF has helped train and equip nearly 400 doctors in Vietnam to perform modern sight-restoring cataract surgeries and expanded its program to all parts of the country. It has increased the number of annual cataract operations to 12,000.

Reported by Giang An

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Environmental fuel tax will hurt consumption, association warns

A new environment tax on fuel products is necessary but it will drive up transport costs and hence consumer prices, experts say, suggesting the rate be low.

Thai Van Chung, general secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Goods Transport Association, told Thanh Nien he supported the proposal to levy an environment tax on fuel products.

However, as fuel is an essential product, the tax rate needed to be considered carefully, Chung said.

According to a recent bill prepared the Ministry of Finance, fuel is one of eight products that will be taxed under the Environmental Tax Law, expected to take effect on January 1, 2012. The maximum rates will be VND6,000 per liter of gasoline and VND2,000 for kerosene.

With the eighth price hike this year taking effect Friday, the popular 92-octane petrol now retails at VND16,300 per liter, but taxes and fees already account for nearly 40 percent of the price, Chung said. The ratio would surge to more than 50 percent if the new tax comes into effect, he said.

Fuel costs currently take up between 35 and 45 percent of total operation costs at transport companies, and any fuel price hike would badly affect their business, Chung said.

When transport costs rise, consumer prices would also surge, he said, noting that it is end users who would have to carry the burden at the end.

Burden to bare

Under the bill, the tax on fuel products will be levied at the point they are sold to retailers. But economist Le Tham Duong of the HCMC Banking University said it was unlikely retailers would accept paying the tax by themselves.

As the competition in the fuel market is not strong enough, traders would choose to pass on the tax on consumers, Duong said.

Although the rates need to be high for a tax instrument to be effective, it should be noted that high fuel prices would make all other products more expensive, endangering economic stability, he said.

Experts worry that the environmental tax, which will coincide with a plan by the Ministry of Transport to collect fees for a road maintenance fund, would be too much for local consumers to bear.

The Transport Ministry has recently announced a plan to fund the maintenance of Vietnam’s road system with revenues from a new fuel fee. Deputy Minister Le Manh Hung said the fee could range between VND200 and VND500 per liter.

More eco-friendly

Experts also said it would be unfair to impose the same environment tax rate on all drivers if their vehicles have different impacts on the environment.

Nguyen Dinh Tuan, president of HCMC Natural Resources and Environment College, said the ultimate solution for environmental protection would be to reduce vehicle emissions.

Traffic users should be required to have their vehicles checked regularly to make sure they meet environment standards, he suggested.

The seven other products that will be taxed under the Environment Tax Law are tobacco; hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), often used in fridges and air conditioners; plastic grains and powder made from petrochemical products and imported plastic waste; batteries; cleansing chemicals; mineral acid and sodium hydroxide; and industrial paints.

Reported by Phuong Thanh

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Fix if with goat

Goat meat and organs make for tasty meals, and a few useful health remedies as well. Here are some recipes for various ailments as recommended by our frequent contributor Hoai Vu.

1. A remedy for post-natal pain and cold in the lower abdomen can be made with 200g of goat meat, 20g of đương quy (angelica sinensis), 6g of fresh ginger, 10ml of alcohol and a few choice spices (angelica sinensis, commonly known as "dong quai" or "female ginseng" is a herb from the Apiaceae family, indigenous to China).

Put the lot into a frying pan or wok and gently stir-fry over a low flame for one hour.

2 This goatish remedy almost fits the definition of panacea as it can be taken to improve kidney function, relieve soreness in the spine, and even relax the constraints of frigidity.

To prepare it, wash and cut up 200g of goat meat and put in a bowl, add 6g of shrimp, 10g of mashed fresh ginger, a small spring onion, some spices and a little alcohol, and let stand for 15 minutes. Then grill the mixture to perfection and enjoy.

An alternative remedy with the same effect can be made by slowly cooking two goat kidneys together with some sticky rice porridge over a low flame. Best eaten while still hot.

3. Loss of appetite? Pain in the lower abdomen? Then stir-fry 250g of goat meat, 100g of fresh ginger, 2g of nhục quế (cinnamon bark, or cortex cinnamomi in medical parlance), alcohol and spices over a low flame for one hour, and eat straight away.

4. Revitalize a feeble leg or knee by cooking two goat kidneys with 20g of đỗ trọng (medical name: cortex eucommiae), 15g of bổ cốt chỉ (medical name: fructus psoraleae), 50g of fresh ginger, spices, and alcohol made from large-grain sticky rice over a low flame for 30 minutes, and eating it hot.

5. Stomach of goat is the main ingredient of this tonic for illness-induced lethargy and remedy for excessive sweating.

Wash and slice up one goat stomach, put the pieces in a pan with 100g of hoàng kỳ (medical name: radix astragali), 50g of đậu đen (black beans), a dash of alcohol, some mashed fresh ginger, a small spring onion, add spices to taste, and cook gently over a low flame for one hour.

This dish should be eaten three times during the day for best effect.

6. Here’s one for overcoming male impotence, ending premature ejaculation, and getting irregular menstrual periods back into step.

The ingredients are a full kilogram of goat meat, 20g of khởi tử (Chinese wolfberries or fructus lycii chinensis/lycium, known in traditional Chinese medicine as Gou Qi Zi), one small spring onion, ginger, alcohol, spices and two liters of water.

To prepare, wash and parboil the meat, wash again in cold water, and cut into small squares. Heat a cast-iron pan and put the meat and ginger in. Then pour in alcohol and cook steadily so that the meat and ginger absorb it. Next, put the meat and ginger in an earthen pot along with some khởi tử, water, spices and onions. Bring to a boil over a strong flame, then turn down the heat and simmer until well cooked.

Reported by Ha Mai (www.thanhniennews.com)

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Measles outbreak fueled by lack of vaccine

Ho Chi Minh City has reported at least 10 young measles cases every day this month due to an inadequate supply of shots for the disease, doctors said.

There were only twelve measles cases recorded in Ho Chi Minh City for all of 2008.

Tran Thi Thuy, deputy head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Children’s Hospital No.2, was quoted Friday as saying that this year’s measles rate was the highest in the past ten years.

There were 42 children being treated for measles at the hospital on Friday evening, two of them being assisted with respirators.

The disease normally occurs from February to April, but the hospital had received many emergency cases this month, said Thuy.

As of Wednesday, the hospital had admitted a total of 1,047 in-patients with measles this year, including 158 cases in the first half of this month alone.

A ten-month-old girl died of measles in the hospital last Thursday, with doctors attributing the death to late hospitalization.

Infections Diseases director Do Chau Viet said most of the children were from the city and half were under one year of age.

Viet said the Pasteur Institute in HCMC was exploring the cause of the “abnormal spread of the disease,” stating the preliminary findings showed that around 70 percent of the measles patients hospitalized were not vaccinated for the disease.

Some mothers at the hospital recalled said there was a shortage of measles vaccines more than a year ago and many babies were not vaccinated.

Children in Vietnam are given their first measles shots when they reach nine months old. They receive more shots at ages 1 and 6.

Viet added that hotter temperatures recently had prompted more children to become infected with other diseases.

This did not bode well for the future, he said, as youngsters who are sick now cannot be inoculated for measles, and would thereby become vulnerable to it in the future.

He said that sick children whose immune systems are busy fighting disease cannot receive the vaccine as the inoculation consists of a small dose of measles, which could fully affect a weak child.

Thuy added that some parents had chosen not to have theirs vaccinated as they were scared by headlines of vaccination-related deaths at children this year and last.

Measles shots are free in Vietnam as part of the National Vaccination Program.

Viet said measles is one of the planet’s most infectious diseases and parents should send their children to hospitals if they register fevers for more than 24 hours.

Parents should let their sick children eat and bathe normally while allowing them to rest in well-ventilated places, he said.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre

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Personnel shortage keeps logistics trade backward

Personnel shortage keeps logistics trade backward

In low gear: The logistics industry is in need of a further 12,000 workers to meet demand
Vietnam ranks very low in logistics development among ASEAN members, speakers said at an annual general meeting held last week in Ho Chi Minh City by the Southeast Asian Federation of Forwarders’ Associations.

It needs support from more developed members and international logistic associations, they said.

Together with Laos and Myanmar, Vietnam had the lowest logistics development ranking in the regional grouping, said federation chairman Masli Mulia.

Meanwhile, more developed member nations should provide assistance in keeping with the aim of improving logistics within the bloc, he added.

While Vietnam has paid more attention to and developed its logistics industry over the last 10 to 15 years, other markets including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia have started several decades earlier, even a hundred years, Mulia said.

The logistics industry in Vietnam was severely hampered by the lack of qualified personnel, which is also the largest stumbling block to its growth, industry insiders said.

“It is incredible that logistics, which contributes greatly to the country’s economic development, is suffering such a serious shortage of personnel and [the problem of] unprofessional skills,” said chairman of Vietnam Freight Forwarders Association Bui Ngoc Loan.

A report from the association said the local labor market met only 40 percent of the requirements of an industry that was growing at 20 to 30 percent a year and contributed 15 to 20 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

About 600 businesses involved in logistics in Vietnam employ 35,000 to 40,000 people, the report said.

Loan said schools and universities were unable to meet demand from the industry for people to work at ports, in forwarding agencies, in shipping and customs services.

Unprofessional
Tran Anh Dung, executive director of Vietnam Trading Logistics and Shipping Services (Vinatraco), said he was not satisfied with the professionalism of employees that he hired. His firm had to hold several training courses at work and even send employees to schools for further training, he said.

Dung said local logistics businesses were also facing a high labor turnover, with Vinatraco recording 30 to 60 percent every year. A source from the Saigon Shipping Company said human resources quality and availability were big issue for local businesses. Professional skills were at a premium, he said, adding that the firm was recently “robbed” of its five best employees by rivals who offered better salaries and better working environment.

The industry was growing as it offered opportunities and easy access for small and medium-sized enterprises to set up their business without too many conditions. This boom created more pressure on finding workers from a limited human resource pool supplied by schools or universities that only offer logistics courses for limited periods, said Dung.

Phan Van Quan, deputy general director of Dragon Logistics, said it was difficult to hire workers with the professional as well as foreign language skills needed to work in a setting that involved dealing with international partners.

Vietnamese employees were less professional and were cautious in dealing with special high risk commodities as they had experience only with normal ones, said Quan.

In other countries, forwarders were doing 90 to 95 percent of logistics involved in international trading, but Vietnamese forwarders only did half of this work, said chairman of air forwarding firm Vina Freight Do Xuan Quang. The remaining work was done by the trading companies themselves, he said.

Policy support

Quang, also director of the association’s Training and Human Resource Department, said it needed a further 12,000 workers to support development of the industry that was growing alongside the development of infrastructure at airport terminals, sea ports and customs services.

Chairman Loan said the association would be unable to do its job if the government did not provide support that logistics businesses in other countries received from their governments.

Quang added logistic firms should be recognized legally as non-vessel operators of common carrier instead of forwarding agents to avoid disputes that have arisen because the role of the agent in trading transactions was not clear in Vietnam to date.

Reported by Minh Quang (www.thanhniennews.com)

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