Launching HIV program to achieve 90-90-90 target

(Baonghean.vn) -On the afternoon of October 6, Nghe An launched the HIV program to achieve the 90-90-90 target, towards ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.

Attending the ceremony were comrades: Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Health, leaders of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Center, USAID delegation and representatives of USAID projects in Nghe An.

Overview of the ceremony.

The UN 90-90-90 target means that 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% of people diagnosed with HIV are treated with ARVs, and 90% of patients on ARVs have a viral load below the level of transmission.

Responding to the above goal, towards ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030 in Vietnam, Nghe An health sector has been strengthening cooperation with USAID to be more active in HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Within the framework of the PEPFAR program, since 2008, USAID has funded Nghe An to implement HIV/AIDS prevention activities such as FHI 360, CARE, CHP, COHED projects, etc. to deal with the emergency epidemic, especially in mountainous districts - where the number of infected people is increasing such as Que Phong, Quy Chau, etc.

Doctor Bui Dinh Long - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Health affirmed that HIV/AIDS prevention work in Nghe An was implemented synchronously with many solutions, initially controlling and reducing the spread in the community.

However, Nghe An is a large area, in recent years, along with socio-economic development, the risk situation of the pandemic has changed. Therefore, the health sector has actively advised the provincial leaders to respond to the current situation, and one of the contents is to respond to the 90-90-90 target movement.

Dr. Bui Dinh Long - Director of the Department of Health hopes to receive technical assistance from organizations and sponsors to support the work of searching for and detecting people infected with HIV/AIDS, and providing medical supplies to quickly repel the pandemic in the province.

USAID representative - Mr. Joakim Parker pledged to cooperate and support the province to continue successfully implementing activities to prevent the disease of the century.

USAID representative, Mr. Joakim Parker - USAID Director in Vietnam affirmed that one of the areas that the US Government has been interested in investing in Vietnam over the past 10 years is healthcare, and the cooperation between the two countries in this field is increasingly close.

Mr. Parker assessed that Vietnam in general and Nghe An in particular pay great attention to the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. Towards a future without HIV/AIDS, USAID will support Vietnam in developing a more sustainable way to maintain HIV/AIDS prevention activities, expecting Nghe An to be a model for HIV/AIDS prevention for other localities to learn and replicate.

The ceremony also received comments and commitments from representatives of medical facilities, community groups and USAID projects in Nghe An.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh - Director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Center affirmed the achieved results and implementation directions in the province in the coming time.

On behalf of hospitals across the province, the leaders of Yen Thanh General Hospital committed to the goal of each grassroots medical staff being an HIV/AIDS prevention propagandist.

Mr. Reed Ramlow - Chief Representative of Family Health International - FHI 360 in Vietnam affirmed that the ceremony shows the determination of the whole community to join hands to push back HIV/AIDS.

Delegates symbolically presented medical supplies.

… and cut the ribbon to launch the HIV program to achieve the 90-90-90 target in Nghe An.

Thu Giang