Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong has emphasised the need to further control HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and prostitution in different forms in 2010.

Deputy PM Trong, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, Drug Abuse and Prostitution, requested a tougher fight against the social evils at a conference of the committee held in the northern port city of Hai Phong on Jan. 19.

The conference drew the participation of 120 delegates from 13 provinces and cities and international organisations.

Trong applauded international organisations and donors’ assistance to the country’s fight against drug abuse and prostitution and helping HIV carriers and former drug users to reintegrate into the community.

He took the occasion to call for more international assistance to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the work.

He also asked localities to effectively manage and use financial sources from the budget and international assistance for the work.

According to Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Ha Thi Lien, who is also the committee’s Vice Chairwoman, the committee is implementing a scheme to enhance the capacity of provincial/municipal HIV/AIDS prevention and control systems and a national action plan for children infected with HIV/AIDs.

Additionally, the committee will assess the implementation of a national target programme and master plans on drug control on the border so as to devise a national target programme for 2011-2015 period.

The committee will combine the implementation of hunger eradication and poverty reduction programmes with vocational training and job generation for female youths.
It will draft and submit a programme for intervention and prostitution prevention for girls and female drops-out in remote and mountainous areas to the Government for approval.

According to the committee’s statistics, by the end of 2009, the country has 156,802 HIV positive people, more than 146,700 drug users under management and nearly 29,260 prostitutes. 70.51 percent of communes and 97.53 percent of districts nationwide have HIV carriers and 56.54 percent of communes have drug users.

Last year, police forces uncovered 12,274 drug-related cases./.