Briefs | MGTO organizes Islamic Culture workshop

The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) held two themed training sessions on 4 September and 18 September in Hong Kong entitled “Islamic Culture in Tourism” aimed at tour guides, hotel employees and tour operators from Macau, as well as MGTO staff. The purpose of the workshop was to familiarize travel industry personnel with the religion of Islam, so that they can provide a more appropriate and considerate service for Islamic visitors to Macau.

MUST to open pharmacy program next year

Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) will launch a five-year pharmacy degree program next year. The news emerged from a briefing which addressed the profession’s certification for secondary school students last Saturday. Cheang Im Hong, head of the Health Bureau’s department of inspection and licensing, expects that the bachelor’s degree program will attract around 40 additional practitioners to the profession every year. Currently, the number of registered pharmacists sits at 437 with an average of 40 practitioners entering the field every year, while the number of registered technological assistants working in pharmacies totals 211 with 15 new members expected annually. According to the Health Bureau, the majority of local pharmacy graduates completed their studies either in the mainland or Taiwan.

Gov’t starts installing surveillance cameras today

The first phase of the citywide surveillance camera installation starts today at the border gate port in two phases. The initial phase of the electronic spying system, which is estimated to take around three months, involves network installation at the plaza located outside the checkpoint complex and the underground bus station. Up to 219 cameras will be installed at the above locales in the first phase, and another 263 at major roads, while another 338 cameras will be scattered across the region at major facilities, tourist attractions and areas with a high crime rate. According to the Infrastructure Development Office, a central monitoring center instantly collects images from the surveillance points located across the city so as to better oversee the region’s security.