Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Da Nang,(VNA) - Vietnam will face a huge budget deficit in health servicesfor people with HIV/AIDS in the next five years, an official from the HIV/AIDSPrevention Agency, Duong Thuy Anh, said at a conference on insurance paymentsfor ARV therapy on November 28.
Anh said theState budget could only reserve 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD) forantiretroviral (ARV) therapy in 2016-20, but the demand is for about 600billion VND (27 million USD).
She saidmost people with HIV/AIDS cannot afford prolonged use of ARV and other drugsfor opportunistic infections.
Anh saidthat was why Government and various agencies have been conducting discussionson implementation of the Prime Minister’s decision on payment for ARV andsupport for ARV users through health insurance.
“Only 40percent of people with HIV/AIDS have enrolled in social health insurance, while72 out of 385 (18.7 percent) of health service centres provided payment forHIV/AIDS patients through insurance,” Anh said.
“The decisionwill help people with HIV access health service and treatment, throughdifferent sources, including a fund for the poor,” she said.
In someplaces, AIDS patients had received support through flexible policies of thelocal administration.
Tran TruongMinh, from Vinh Phuc Province’s insurance, said the northern province hasallocated funds from donations and other sources to enable HIV/AIDS patients toget treatment free of charge.
He saidpeople with HIV/AIDS still hesitate to get treatment at health centres due tofear of discrimination.
DeputyMinister of Heath, Nguyen Thanh Long, said the Prime Minister’s decision willmake a big change for people with HIV/AIDS.
“Vietnam hasfollowed the target over past nine years, and committed to complete the ’Zeroto HIV/AIDS’ campaign by 2030,” Long said.
“The countryhas been seeking a flexible paying mechanism to ensure that 80 percent ofHIV/AIDS patients enroll in health insurance by the end of 2017 and 100 percentin 2018,” Long said.
He said theHealth Insurance Fund will cover full payment of health services and ARV for 90percent of people with HIV/AIDS in 2018.
He said90,000 have died and 230,000 live with the disease.
Meanwhile,about 10,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS are diagnosed each year.
Long alsoasked provincial health centres to provide drugs for HIV/AIDS patients from theInsurance Fund starting next July.
The deputyminister also said the ministry plans to provide health insurance for prisonerswith HIV/AIDS and offenders at rehabilitation centres.
Last month,the city and the Vietnam Health Improvement Project (VNHIP) inked a newagreement on health care for kids with HIV/AIDS in the city in 2017-21, withtotal funding of 150,000 USD.
Vietnamhopes to reduce the number of people with HIV to 0.3 percent by 2020.
The countryhas committed to the global goal of Zero new HIV infections Zerodiscrimination, Zero AIDS-related deaths, Long concluded.-VNA
Anh said theState budget could only reserve 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD) forantiretroviral (ARV) therapy in 2016-20, but the demand is for about 600billion VND (27 million USD).
She saidmost people with HIV/AIDS cannot afford prolonged use of ARV and other drugsfor opportunistic infections.
Anh saidthat was why Government and various agencies have been conducting discussionson implementation of the Prime Minister’s decision on payment for ARV andsupport for ARV users through health insurance.
“Only 40percent of people with HIV/AIDS have enrolled in social health insurance, while72 out of 385 (18.7 percent) of health service centres provided payment forHIV/AIDS patients through insurance,” Anh said.
“The decisionwill help people with HIV access health service and treatment, throughdifferent sources, including a fund for the poor,” she said.
In someplaces, AIDS patients had received support through flexible policies of thelocal administration.
Tran TruongMinh, from Vinh Phuc Province’s insurance, said the northern province hasallocated funds from donations and other sources to enable HIV/AIDS patients toget treatment free of charge.
He saidpeople with HIV/AIDS still hesitate to get treatment at health centres due tofear of discrimination.
DeputyMinister of Heath, Nguyen Thanh Long, said the Prime Minister’s decision willmake a big change for people with HIV/AIDS.
“Vietnam hasfollowed the target over past nine years, and committed to complete the ’Zeroto HIV/AIDS’ campaign by 2030,” Long said.
“The countryhas been seeking a flexible paying mechanism to ensure that 80 percent ofHIV/AIDS patients enroll in health insurance by the end of 2017 and 100 percentin 2018,” Long said.
He said theHealth Insurance Fund will cover full payment of health services and ARV for 90percent of people with HIV/AIDS in 2018.
He said90,000 have died and 230,000 live with the disease.
Meanwhile,about 10,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS are diagnosed each year.
Long alsoasked provincial health centres to provide drugs for HIV/AIDS patients from theInsurance Fund starting next July.
The deputyminister also said the ministry plans to provide health insurance for prisonerswith HIV/AIDS and offenders at rehabilitation centres.
Last month,the city and the Vietnam Health Improvement Project (VNHIP) inked a newagreement on health care for kids with HIV/AIDS in the city in 2017-21, withtotal funding of 150,000 USD.
Vietnamhopes to reduce the number of people with HIV to 0.3 percent by 2020.
The countryhas committed to the global goal of Zero new HIV infections Zerodiscrimination, Zero AIDS-related deaths, Long concluded.-VNA
VNA
