Community groups hold important role in HIV fight in Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is one the few countries in the world that have officially carried out the Community Advisory Board (CAB) model to improve the quality of HIV/AIDS services at healthcare establishments.

So said Minesh P Shah, chief health advisor at the Vietnam Office of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), while addressing a meeting held in Da Nang city on September 7 - 8 by the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EPIC) project and the USCDC Office in Vietnam.

The CAB model is an initiative to create a mechanism for the community to contribute opinions to the HIV/AIDS prevention and control programme.

The CAB groups currently consists of 81 members who assist over 41 health establishments in six localities nationwide, namely Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Long An, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, and Hanoi.

Shah said the CAB is an important community group model helping improve the services related to HIV/AIDS prevention and control. It is an illustration of the coordination among the Government, health agencies, and community organisations in improving prevention services and the care for HIV/AIDS patients, and making the community’s voice be heard.

He expressed his delight that Vietnam has applied the CAB model, supported by the USCDC as a partner.

In Vietnam, CAB groups have made tireless efforts to provide assistance for HIV carriers to receive the antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, and reaped fruitful results.

The fight against HIV/AIDS in Vietnam enjoys much support from Government agencies like the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control and partners. Thanks to that, the CAB has been applied effectively in the country.

Since 2019, members of the CAB groups in Vietnam have harvested various achievements, including helping promote access to healthcare services in the HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

In particular, with support from technical partners, this model has proved sustainable effects and can also be used for other diseases in the future, Shah noted.

Vietnam has more than 242,000 HIV/AIDS cases at present, mostly among people aged 16 - 39. Since 1990, over 112,000 people have died from HIV/AIDS, according to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control under the Ministry of Health.

Vo Hai Son, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control and Deputy Director of the Central EPIC Project, said activities of the CAB groups aim to improve the quality of anti-HIV/AIDS services through technical support of community organisations. This activity has received great attention from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The groups collect opinions from beneficiaries of HIV/AIDS services at healthcare establishments and the community. This provides feedback to authorities such as the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control and provincial-level health departments so as to deliver the best services and improve prevention and treatment activities, he added./.