The US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a programme to stimulate a market for HIV-related goods and services with the involvement of the private sector in Ho Chi Minh City on October 31.

The project will provide financial support and incentives to encourage the involvement of private enterprises in importing, producing and distributing HIV-related goods.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID, Ariel Pablos-Mendez, highlighted the role of the private sector in facilitating access to HIV-related goods in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vo Tan Thanh, highlighted the public-private partnership on HIV-treatment and preventive services.

The project will run until 2019 with a total investment of 15 million USD. It will be implemented by Path International Vietnam, a health non-governmental organisation, and the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population.-VNA