Health care staff gives consultations on HIV transmission prevention (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Due to the reduction in
international funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and control, the private sector
is expected to get more involved in providing treatment opportunities for
people living with the virus, contributing to putting an end to the epidemic by
2030.
According to head of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention
and Control Nguyen Hoang Long, the drop in financial assistance is a considerable
challenge to HIV prevention and control.
To deal with the situation, the Ministry of Health, the US
Agency for International Development (USAID) and have
launched a programme to promote the engagement of the private sector in the
work, he said.
Over the years, the private sector has been involved in HIV
prevention and control activities, helping increase access to treatment
services.
Since 2015, more than 140,000 people have been tested for HIV
through support of community-based and social enterprises, while various
HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes have been implemented with the
support of the sector.
So far, domestic firms have successfully met 100 percent of
demand for Methadone as well as equipment and materials to prevent the
infection, which has been delivered free to the community.
Since 2016, eight private clinics have been set up to
provide services for HIV-infected people.
K. Grin, Director of Healthy Markets Project and PATH Global
Director for HIV/AIDS prevention, said that the Healthy Markets Project, funded
by the and implemented by PATH, has been carried out with the cooperation
of the Department of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control since
2014, aiming to develop the commercial market for HIV/AIDS prevention and
control services and goods.
Over the past five years, about 80 percent of funds for
and control came from foreign donors connected by PATH, she
said, stressing the need for more domestic financial resources from the private
sector.
PATH has connected commercial, social enterprises with
community organisations to make up shortages of financial resources for
programmes, she said.
Currently, 140,000 people with HIV/AIDS are receiving
treatment at public health care establishments, along with about 10,000 others
using private facilities, including those accepting health insurance./.
Source: VietnamPlus
