A medical worker delivers antiretroviral (ARV) medicine for patients (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Simultaneous events were
held in Hanoi, Hai Phong city, Nghe An province and Ho Chi Minh City on March 8
to celebrate the first patients receiving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs covered by
social health insurance (SHI).
Co-organised by the Vietnam Authority for
HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), the Ministry of Health and the US President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the events mark an important milestone
in securing domestic sustainable financing for the HIV response in Vietnam and
ensuring that people living with HIV access treatment services.
Over 400 representatives from government
agencies, international organisations, community-based organisations working
with HIV patients, people living with HIV, and media agencies attended the four
events.
HIV patients need lifelong treatment that can be
costly and early and continuous treatment enables them to lead healthy lives
and effectively eliminates the risk of sexual transmission to their partners,
according to a press release issued by the US Embassy on March.
Historically, ARVs were provided free-of-charge
in Vietnam through international donors. However, over the last five years, the
PEPFAR programme, through its activities, has been working with the Government
of Vietnam to transition the responsibility for financing the country’s HIV
response from donors to SHI.
Key in the transition was revising the Social
Health Insurance Law and benefit package to include funding for HIV treatment;
integrating HIV clinics in the public health system; increasing the number of
HIV patients enrolled in SHI from 40 per cent in 2014 to 89 per cent in 2018;
procuring s through SHI; and creating procedures for HIV services
reimbursement by SHI.
Across the world, very few developing countries
are applying their SHI programmes to cover HIV treatment services. Among the
PEPFAR focused countries, Vietnam is the only country mobilising domestic
resources through SHI to cover HIV treatment services. This can be attributed
to the Government of Vietnam’s strong commitment to the long-term
sustainability of its HIV/AIDS response.
Vietnam is also a global leader in achieving
viral suppression, at 93 percent. Viral suppression is a measurement of the
degree to which the HIV virus is in a person’s bloodstream.
When an HIV positive patient achieves viral
suppression and has an undetectable viral load, not only do they have a
significantly increased likelihood of improved health outcomes, but it also
eliminates their likelihood of transmitting HIV.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
