Permanent Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly Tong Thi Phong (standing) gives a speech at the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - As one of four countries, alongside Germany,Switzerland and the UK, with the best HIV/AIDS treatment in the world, Vietnamhas a rate of HIV-infected people receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment witha viral load below the inhibitory threshold reaching 96 percent, contributingto reducing HIV infection in the community, a health official has said.
Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long made the statement at the 18thplenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs thatopened in Hanoi on September 28.
Speaking at the meeting, which examined draft amendments to the Law on HIV/AIDSPrevention and Control, Long said amending the law aimed to create a favourablelegal corridor for HIV/AIDS preventive activities, contributing to reducing thenumber of new HIV infections and deaths, improving the effectiveness andefficiency of HIV/AIDS prevention and control to end the AIDS pandemic by 2030.
Over the past 10 years, Vietnam has reduced the number of newly infectedpeople, the number of HIV-infected people who develop AIDS and the number ofdeaths related to HIV/AIDS. The country has kept the HIV infection rate in thecommunity to below 0.3 percent.
According to UNAIDS, from 2000 up to now, Vietnam has employed preventive measuresto stop 400,000 people from being infected with HIV and 150,000 people alsoreceived treatment that stopped them die from AIDS.
Achieving many positive achievements in HIV/AIDS prevention and control,however, this work still has some shortcomings, Long said.
The current law still has many limitations, with no specific regulation on whois entitled to access information about HIV-infected people, which can helpspread the disease.
Therefore, the draft law adds more people who can access information aboutHIV-infected people to ensure the benefits of HIV-infected people in theirtreatment, payment of medical examination and treatment costs as well aspreventing infection risks of HIV for people taking care of and treating thepatients.
"The head and the person who was assigned to monitor the HIV/AIDS pandemicunder a competent State agency on HIV/AIDS prevention and control at alllevels" will be notified of the HIV test results for statistics andassessment the risk of HIV infection in the community, the draft reads.
People who can access information about HIV-infected people include peopletasked with HIV/AIDS pandemic surveillance, people assigned to perform theassessment, payment and management on medical examination and treatment coveredby health insurance for HIV-infected people, persons assigned to pay and manageinformation on medical examination and treatment for HIV-infected people.
At the meeting, delegates agreed with the law’s amendment and supplement.
Delegates suggested the Government and the drafting committee continue to studyto ensure the draft law is consistent with the spirit of Article 14 of theConstitution on provisions related to the right of protecting personal secretsand review the uniformity and consistency of the draft with current laws.
Regarding the addition of people who can access information about HIV-infectedpeople, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs Dang Thuan Phongsaid deputies were still divided on the matter.
Phong stated that the adjustment of this policy should harmonise the goals ofState management but also protect the rights and interests of patients,especially the right to keep personal information confidential.
Luu Binh Nhuong, deputy director of the National Assembly Commission forPeople's Aspirations said it was impossible to use privacy concerns to reducethe role of State management because State management was for prevention andcontrol infection and reducing the risk to society.
Nhuong agreed with the regulations to expand the list of people who can accessinformation about HIV-infected people and the supplement was intended to servethe majority of the people in society at risk.
Also in the morning session, the National Assembly’s Committee on SocialAffairs of the National Assembly gave comments on the draft amended Law onVietnamese workers working abroad under contracts and draft amended ordinanceon preferential treatment for people with great contributions to the nation./.
VNA
