At the meeting (Photo: Nhandan) He made the pledge at the two-day 49th GlobalFund Board Meeting which opened in Hanoi on May 10.
He appreciated cooperation between the Vietnamese Governmentand socio-political organisations in helping many people recover from thesediseases.
Vietnamese Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that since2003, the Fund has provided assistance valued at over 650 million USD for activities to fight AIDS,TB and malaria in Vietnam.
It announced in late 2022 that it will fund over 130 millionUSD for these kinds of activities and health system improvement in Vietnam forthe 2024-2026 period.
In the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and control, after morethan 30 years since the first HIV case was detected in Vietnam in 1990, this isthe 15th consecutive year that the epidemic has been kept in check in thecountry. Over the past 20 years, with contributions of the Global Fund, theHIV/AIDS prevention and control programme has helped nearly 1 million people beprevented from the virus, and saved nearly 200,000 others from dying from AIDS,said Lan.
In the past two decades, Vietnam has saved the lives of about1 million people with TB. Some 100% of the population has gained access to the TBprevention and control programme.
Meanwhile, in 1991, the whole country recorded more than 1million cases of malaria, nearly 5,000 deaths and nearly 150 outbreaks.However, in 2022, there were only more than 400 infections, (a decrease ofover 90%), and no fatalities. In Vietnam, 42 out of 63 provinces and cities haveeliminated malaria.
The minister said that the country has set a goal tobasically end AIDS and tuberculosis and eliminate malaria by 2030.
However, each year, Vietnam still records more than 10,000cases of HIV infection and about 2,000 AIDS-related deaths. There are stillabout 30,000 people living with HIV in the community without knowing theirstatus. In addition, the country still faces a heavy burden on society andhealthcare for more than 220,000 people living with the virus.
In the Global Tuberculosis Report 2022, Vietnam ranked 11thout of 30 countries with the highest burden in the world. Currently, each year,about 40% of new TB patients are still undetected in the community, especiallyafter the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, to eliminate malaria, there are stillmany challenges due to the situation of drug-resistant malaria, importedmalaria, and the risk of reoccurrence.
Therefore, the health minister called on the Global Fund,countries, organisations and individuals to continue providing support forVietnam, and share experience to help the country reach the set target.
Also at the meeting, on behalf of the Ministry of Health,Minister Dao Hong Lan presented the Certificate of Merit and the "Forpeople's health" insignia to the Global Fund Board.
On this occasion, delegates lit candles to commemorate those who died of AIDS, TB and malaria; and attended a photo exhibition on TBeradication./.
VNA
