ARV for HIV treatment (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)Dong Nai (VNA) – The southern province of Dong Nai is among 13 localities that have
received assistance from the US’ AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in giving
healthcare services to prisoners living with .
The province and AHF
have jointly implemented a project to connect healthcare facilities and prisons
in providing free medicines and health care services for prisoners.
Since 1993, nearly
8,000 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Dong Nai, of whom nearly 4,300 are
under management, more than 1,100 are not found and the rest died.
Currently, prisons
across the province are keeping 130 prisoners living with HIV/AIDS and facing
difficulties in seeking health care services.
Hoang Dinh Canh, Vice
Director of the Health Ministry’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and
Control, said that treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers in prisons is difficult as
all services for them are depend on support from health care facilities and the
community.
He held that linking
health care facilities and prisons is crucial to provide treatments for prisoners
living with HIV/AIDS.
Chhim Sarath, AHF
Director for Asia, said that the foundation has cooperated with 11 prisons and
two drug detoxification centres in Vietnam, focusing on localities with high
number of HIV/AIDS patients.
He affirmed that in
the coming time, the foundation will launch more HIV treatment facilities and
expand partnership with more prisons in other localities such as Binh Thuan and
Ho Chi Minh City, while seeking more sources to support in the coming
time, aiming for all HIV/AIDS prisoners to receive treatment in the jail.
The foundation’s
project in , which started on April 18 and runs until 2020, aims to help
Dong Nai complete the 90-90-90 target, which means 90 percent of people living
with HIV knowing their conditions, 90 percent of them receiving antiretroviral
(ARV) treatment, 90 percent of those taking ARV therapy have viral
suppression.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
