medicines given to an HIV patient. (Photo: baomoi.com)Hanoi (VNA) – The National
Hospital of Tropical Diseases and the Japan International Co-operation Agency
(JICA) signed a record of discussions for a cooperation project to set up a
bench-to-bedside system for sustainable anti-virus (ARV) and HIV prevention in
Vietnam.
The project will evaluate the effectiveness and
sustainability of Vietnam’s HIV treatment system and analyse pre-exposure
preventive activity to reduce new cases.
The project will set up connecting systems
between central and local hospitals to monitor HIV treatment, discover new
cases and provide early diagnosis of treatment failure and drug resistance
mutations.
A system of pre-exposure (PrEP) preventive
monitors will be established to contribute to the HIV/AIDS prevention
programme. The project plans to start in April next year and last until March
2024.
Statistics showed that Vietnam has around
250,000 HIV-infected people and nearly 14,000 new infections each year, ranking
fourth in the Asia-Pacific region.
Funds for treatment and some tests for HIV/AIDS
patients in central-level hospitals are being provided free of charge through
international funding sources.
However, as Vietnam has become a middle-income
country, international aid has been reduced.
HIV treatment will be covered by health
insurance and will be provided at local-level health centres, but many local
health centres do not have experience with HIV treatment.
Patients often have to pay for their own medical
expenses, which may affect their adherence to treatment procedures and lead to
viral outbreaks and drug resistance.
In terms of preventive work, the Ministry of
Health has issued a plan of PrEP treatment by ARV medicines for 2018-2020.
The plan will be implemented in Hanoi and some
provinces throughout the country.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
