Illustrative image (Source: scicraze.com) (VNA) – The northern province of Bac Ninh has become the first locality nationwide
to provide health insurance support to all people living with HIV/AIDS and
taking antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
The assistance
is part of the province’s efforts to fulfil the UN 90-90-90 goal, which targets
90 percent of all people living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 90 percent
of all people with diagnosed HIV receiving sustained antiretroviral therapy and
90 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy achieving viral
suppression.
The support is
sourced from the leftover funds from the 2016 health insurance fund.
According to the
provincial Centre for Prevention and Control, as of the end of April
2017, the province had 2,448 HIV-infected patients and more than 1,000 people
living with AIDS, while 958 had died from AIDS.
In the first
four months of this year, Bac Ninh recorded 58 new cases of HIV infection.
Since 2015, Bac
Ninh has welcomed two projects for HIV/AIDS prevention, including a Global Fund
project to supply free ARV to HIV/AIDS patients. However, the supply will be
cut off from July 1, 2017 when ARV will be covered by health insurance. This
will pose difficulties to the needy, most of whom are living in poverty.
Along with strengthening
communications on HIV/AIDS prevention, the province plans to popularise the
rights of health insurance card holders, especially among high-risk groups.
However, many
HIV/AIDS patients still struggle to buy due to a lack of legal
documents.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
