Hanoi (VNA) - Theannual KOVA Prize 2017 honoured contributions of two groups, eight outstandingindividuals and seven students for their outstanding contributions to thefields of applied science and technology, and social welfare, at a ceremony on December2.
The first group prize in the Creative Ideas for Applied Sciencecategory was awarded to a project establishing an asthma and chronicobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management network in communities,conducted by Prof Le Thi Tuyet Lan, chairwoman of the HCM City Asthma andAllergy and Clinical Immunology Society, along with 22 partners.
Since 2000, Lan and her co-workers at HCM City Medical andPharmacy University developed a network on asthma and COPD patient managementin communities that helped reduce the number of patients visiting hospitals dueto acute asthma and COPD, saving many patients’ lives and minimising the burdenon society.
The network, which has been expanded to 161 units in 45 provincesand cities nation-wide, provided training courses on asthma and COPD managementfor nearly 1,200 doctors and 600 nurses over the past 17 years. The networkmodel was introduced to several countries in the region.
The second groupprize also honoured a medical project for inducing labour, that was developedby Prof Doctor Huynh Nguyen Khanh Trang, head of the Obstetrics Department ofthe Hung Vuong General Hospital.
The Hung VuongHospital’s new initiative has gained great success in inducing labour inpregnant women, using techniques that had greatly reduced costs.
The project isthe first ever medical research in Vietnam that has been recognised as a newmethod in obstetrics by the Ministry of Health, having helped reduce the rateof surgical births and handling difficult situations in pregnant women havingseriously deformed fetuses or those having previous surgical births.
The 15th KOVAPrize awards in the category of Beautiful Living were presented to two groupsand six individuals for their actions, which have inspired other people tofollow, including group of Navy Region 4 and Lieutenant Le Van Quan, Captain ofthe Truong Sa 21 Ship, Brigade 125, Navy Region 2. They were recognised as anoutstanding group and individuals who have carried out the task of protectingthe nation’s sovereignty on the sea and islands.
The KOVA Prize,which was set up by former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh and Associate Prof DrNguyen Thi Hoe, chairwoman of KOVA Paint Group in 2002, is held annually tohonour individuals and groups who have made significant contributions in thefields of science, education, charities, and other areas.
Over the past 15years, the awards have been given to hundreds of groups and individuals. Theorganisation aims to encourage students, individuals and groups – especiallythose from disadvantaged backgrounds – to pursue innovations in science,technology and social welfare.-VNA