Celebrate the 20th anniversary of HIV treatment program in Viet Nam
Mr. Doan Huu Bay, Deputy Head of Office of the Government Department for Culture, Education, Social Affairs
Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Long, Director General of Viet Nam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control,
Colleagues and friends,
It is my great pleasure to be here with you on behalf of UNAIDS, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of HIV treatment program in Viet Nam. Earlier this morning, we have looked back at the major milestones in our life-saving journey thus far, with a view to further expand coverage and optimize quality of the HIV treatment program in the coming years. This is very timely because. next year, all countries will review progress in the implementation of the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS including the 90-90-90 treatment targets, to which Viet Nam has committed.
On this occasion, I would like to commend Viet Nam especially the Viet Nam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) for the remarkable progress and achievements in continuously scaling-up, improving the quality and diversifying service provision of the HIV treatment program over the past 20 years. Your tireless prevention and treatment efforts have contributed to saving the life of hundreds of thousands of people living with HIV both in community and in prisons, helping parents living with HIV have HIV-free children, and preventing nearly half a million people acquiring the virus.
This would not have t been possible without strong leadership and solid partnerships with all related Government agencies, HIV key affected communities and development partners. I salute VAAC for being the leader, for forging and continuously leveraging such strong partnerships to move the HIV treatment program towards both program targets and sustainability. Viet Nam is leading by example with regard to transition from external financing to sustainable domestic financing of HIV treatment.
UNAIDS is honoured to have been with you all on this amazing journey, from mobilising external support to make HIV treatment more readily available in the early years of the program to laying the stepping stone for the landmark Prime Minister Decision 1899 setting direction for the use of social health insurance for HIV treatment; from catalysing South-South learning to inform the introduction of social health insurance to facilitating community – program manager – law maker dialogues to help ensure social health insurance financed ART works for people living with HIV; from introducing innovations to improve HIV prevention and treatment uptake including in remote areas to advocating for sustainable access to quality and affordable ARV medicines through the use of flexibilities in the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
Together, we have made a difference and changed the trajectory of the HIV epidemic in Viet Nam in the past 20 years. With emerging epidemic among some key populations such as men who have sex with men and people who use drugs as well as changing patterns in risk behaviours, more than ever, we need to come together even more solidly, more efficiently, as the theme of this year’s National AIDS Action Month calls upon us, to be able to achieve the 90-90-90 treatment targets, and to end AIDS as a public health threat in Viet Nam.
Let us make the most of the historical opportunities with the amendment of the HIV Law and the development of the National HIV Strategy till 2030 to further embrace people-centred innovations to get critical HIV treatment including pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment services to people most in need, institutionalise and sustain community-led service provision, and ensure more integrated services to better meet various healthcare demands of key HIV-affected people, all this in a fully enabling environment for everyone to thrive.
As Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called for on World AIDS Day, let us further and quickly scale up HIV treatment coverage as we have committed while ensuring quality of the treatment services and confidentiality of all people living with HIV on treatment. Achieving this will set a very good example of leaving no one behind and demonstrate what is possible for Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals.
We have a dream and I believe that, acting together, Viet Nam can become the first country in our region to achieve the 90-90-90 targets. Viet Nam Vo Dich!
Xin cam on va chuc suc khoe!
