Social health insurance and people living with HIV in Viet Nam

A large portion of the total funding for the national AIDS response is currently provided by foreign donors. However, these donors have already reduced contributions and will continue to do so. In this context, the Vietnamese Government has identified the use of social health insurance as a key way of sustainably financing the maintenance and expansion of HIV care and treatment. However, a rapid countrywide survey conducted in 2014 by the Viet Nam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) showed that the health insurance coverage of people living with HIV is very low, at around 30%. The VAAC, Ministry of Health and UNAIDS have therefore jointly conducted a study to provide additional evidence for the development of appropriate policies for the use of social health insurance for HIV treatment. The study’s objectives were to describe:
– Enablers of and barriers to the enrollment in and use of social health insurance by people living with HIV for HIV care and treatment; and
– The current reality for people living with HIV regarding: their use of health services; health service quality; and sources of payment for health services.