One-stop-shop health services launched for HIV prevention

M For M shop located in HCM City’s Tan Phu District, one of the first six shops with health services for HIV prevention and treatment, is being piloted under the community one-stop-shop model called DOME officially launched on September 8. (Photo courtesy of LIFE)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – A called DOME
was officially launched on September 8 in , piloting the first
six shops with for HIV prevention and treatment.

The model is an initiative of the Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life
(LIFE) and community-based organisations (CBOs), with its motto of putting
customers at the centre and a mission of improving the quality of community
health.

Its first six shops are located in densely populated areas to create more
convenience for customers to easily access health services they need.

Six pillars of the model include outreach, counselling, screening, testing,
referral and support.

Through a cooperation network with public health centres and leading health
experts, DOME offers health counselling and services such as sexual and
reproductive health, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, mental health
and support for drug addicts to have treatment, among others.

It features three communications channels – online, offline and mobile – to
serve customers anytime and anywhere.

Nguyen Thi Lan from LIFE said DOME was an upgraded and more advanced model of
the existing CBOs.

“With diversified and essential services, DOME not only serves vulnerable and
high-risk groups, including men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women,
drug users and prostitutes, but also others in the community,” she said.

LIFE is committed to accompanying and supporting s to improve the quality
of human resources, develop business plans, and build their brands.

According to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), the strong
participation of CBOs in offering HIV tests for early detection has helped
reduce the burden on public health stations.

There is an increasing number of people using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medicines thanks to CBOs.

With diversified types and forms of services, DOME is expected to contribute to
the national HIV/AIDS prevention programme in a more sustainable way.

The model will help increase access to target groups, increase the number of
people at high risk of HIV infection receiving tests, and promptly provide
anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV-positive people.

Supported by LIFE, more than 40 CBOs provide counselling and tests for nearly
40,000 people at risk of HIV, and support 10,000 people accessing the PrEP
programme each year.

Of that figure, there were about 4,000 HIV-positive cases detected, and about
98% of them received treatment.

LIFE’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programme is funded by the US
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United State
Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Fund to fight
AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through the Union of Science and Technology
Associations (VUSTA)./.