ARV for HIV treatment (Illustrative image. Source: VNA) Dong Nai (VNA) – The southern province of Dong Nai is among 13 localities that havereceived assistance from the US’ AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in givinghealthcare services to prisoners living with HIV/AIDS.
The province and AHFhave jointly implemented a project to connect healthcare facilities and prisonsin providing free medicines and health care services for prisoners.
Since 1993, nearly8,000 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Dong Nai, of whom nearly 4,300 areunder management, more than 1,100 are not found and the rest died.
Currently, prisonsacross the province are keeping 130 prisoners living with HIV/AIDS and facingdifficulties in seeking health care services.
Hoang Dinh Canh, ViceDirector of the Health Ministry’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention andControl, said that treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers in prisons is difficult asall services for them are depend on support from health care facilities and thecommunity.
He held that linkinghealth care facilities and prisons is crucial to provide treatments for prisonersliving with HIV/AIDS.
Chhim Sarath, AHFDirector for Asia, said that the foundation has cooperated with 11 prisons andtwo drug detoxification centres in Vietnam, focusing on localities with highnumber of HIV/AIDS patients.
He affirmed that inthe coming time, the foundation will launch more HIV treatment facilities andexpand partnership with more prisons in other localities such as Binh Thuan andHo Chi Minh City, while seeking more sources to support Vietnam in the comingtime, aiming for all HIV/AIDS prisoners to receive treatment in the jail.
The foundation’sproject in Dong Nai, which started on April 18 and runs until 2020, aims to helpDong Nai complete the 90-90-90 target, which means 90 percent of people livingwith HIV knowing their conditions, 90 percent of them receiving antiretroviral(ARV) treatment, 90 percent of those taking ARV therapy have viralsuppression.-VNA
VNA
