Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc speaks at the event
This morning, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health organized a rally to respond to the National Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in 2023 and World AIDS Day (December 1).
Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc said that in the past 33 years, since Vietnam's first case of HIV infection was discovered in Ho Chi Minh City in December 1990, with the determination of the entire machinery of state in various forms, appropriate leadership solutions, the city has made concerted efforts to combine comprehensive and effective implementation of social solutions and medical technical expertise in the fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Measures to prevent HIV infection are widely implemented in addition to increased communication to change behavior and reduce stigma and discrimination against HIV patients. Moreover, types of HIV detection testing at medical facilities, in the community, and self-testing have been expanded and diversified while the quality of HIV/AIDS treatment has improved. People with HIV/AIDS can undergo examination and treatment with health insurance cards or at private healthcare facilities.
Subsequently, the city’s HIV/AIDS epidemic has gradually been controlled with an annual reduction in the number of new infections, the number of AIDS cases and HIV/AIDS-related deaths.
As of the end of September 2023, the city has 51,547 people infected with HIV under the health sector’s management. Out of 51,547 people, some 47,634 people are being treated with antiretroviral drugs (ARV), said Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc.
The city has currently achieved 93 percent of the target that 95 percent of all people living with HIV know their HIV status. For the second target 95 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection to receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, the city has gained 92.4 percent. For the third target 95 percent of the patients receiving antiretroviral therapy to have viral suppression by 2025, the city reported to achieve 98.4 percent.
However, according to Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc, the current situation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still complicated and is a public health issue of concern. He added that while international organizations have reduced funding resources for the fight against the pandemic in Vietnam, it is a big problem for the southern largest city to maintain the achievements in HIV/AIDS prevention in recent years, as well as completing the 95-95-95 goal by 2025 to end the AIDS epidemic by 2025.
The city always identifies HIV/AIDS prevention and control as one of the key tasks in the socio-economic development plan and one of the important indicators to evaluate the level of completion of the main tasks of local governments.
The Vice Chairman revealed that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has approved a plan to implement the Project to ensure finance to implement the national strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 in the city, ensuring that investment of resources for HIV/AIDS prevention is consistent with the developments of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
At the same time, he called on the participation of the entire community and society in HIV/AIDS prevention activities in Ho Chi Minh City and private and public healthcare institutions in districts and communes to ensure the provision of continuous treatment to HIV/AIDS patients.
