VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam faces two major hurdles in
combating HIV/AIDS: namely unsustainable achievements and the reduction of
international financial support, says Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien.
At a nation-wide conference on
HIV/AIDS, drug and prostitution control yesterday, March 5, Tien said that last
year the country had more than 14,100 people living with HIV, a fall of 26 per
cent compared with 2011.
More than 2,100 people died for
AIDS last year which is half of the figure in 2011.
“However, the results are not
sustainable and HIV/AIDS infection still faces a high risk of spreading further
if we do not have effective control measures,” said Tien.
The number of people infected
with HIV via sexual intercourse has increased compared with the those infected
via blood contact, and it is forecast that unprotected sexual contact will be
the main means of HIV transmission in coming years.
“But controlling transmission via
sexual intercourse is much more difficult than with transmission via blood
contact, as approaching and supervising prostitutes and men who have sex with
men faces a lot of obstacles,” she said.
Nearly 46 per cent of people
living with HIV were infected with the virus via sexual intercourse last year
whereas only 42 per cent were infected via heroin injections. The rate in 2011
was 41.8 and 46.4 per cent respectively.
Besides, provinces with new
outbreaks of infection, including Binh Duong, Vinh Phuc and Ha Nam, so far have
not invested much in carrying out control measures.
Moreover, in the provinces
bordering the metropolises Ha Noi and HCM City faces a greater risk of
transmission, said Tien.
In the meantime, foreign
financial support, which makes up 70 per cent of the total funds for epidemic
control, is expected to decrease sharply by 2015 as Viet Nam becomes a
middle-income nation.
“It is a big difficulty for the
country as the number of people living with HIV is still high with 4,000-5,000
new cases per year,” said Tien.
It is forecast that the country
will have about 300,000 people living with HIV by 2015, and 140,000 of them will
need antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment during their whole life.
“Thus if funds for control is not
enough, the country will not reach expected targets and thus faces a high risk
of transmission to the community,” said Tien.
The President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the organisation that offers the biggest fund for
HIV/AIDS control, plans to cut its financial support by US$10 million a year.
PEPFAR supported the control with
more than $82 million in 2011, but by 2015 the fund will be only $40 million.
To mobilise funds for HIV
control, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Thi Minh proposed to diversify
organisations and individuals joining the programme.
Under the proposed project,
enterprises and organisations supplying HIV/AIDS prevention and control
services will enjoy preferential tax policies.
The Law on Health Insurance will
be amended so people living with HIV and drug addicts will benefit from the
fund.
The fund can pay 20 per cent of
the total treatment expenses, thus people living with HIV should be encouraged
to buy the insurance, said Minh.
Speaking at the conference,
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the HIV/AIDS control steering
committee at different levels to research and complete the law system on
HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and strengthen information output on the
subject to the whole people, especially the youth, about the disease and how to
avoid it.
International co-operation should
be improved and different sponsor sources should be mobilised and used
effectively, he said.
“The country will try to
diversify its funding sources by seeking support from public-private
partnerships and health insurance, but it will still require financial
assistance from international donors.”
Source: VNS
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