Speeches Shim
Vietnam is preparing to transition TB treatment services from the National Targeted Program (which provides individual funding streams for HIV, TB, etc.) to the Social Health Insurance (SHI) Fund. This transition will require patients, health staff, facilities, and provinces to meet strict SHI requirements. To this end, the USAID Sustainable HIV and TB Responses from Technical Assistance project worked with provincial leaders, relevant officials and staff of the Department of Health Insurance, and the National Tuberculosis Control Program to develop a provincial preparedness assessment, which included assessing provincial health systems, TB programming, and SHI implementation to date. This process has already identified gaps in health worker certification, funding gaps for specimen transport, and SHI eligibility concerns for TB facilities.
From August 24-28, USAID’s Healthy Markets project collaborated with leading national clinical specialist Cao Thanh Thuy to conduct a training on viral hepatitis services for 27 health staff from six one-stop-shop clinics for key populations: Alocare, Galant, My Home, Bien Viet, Glink Hanoi, and Glink Ho Chi Minh City. Participants received both knowledge and practical skills training on how to provide essential viral hepatitis services to clients, including screening, testing, diagnosis, and treatment, with a specific focus on co-infection among those who use PrEP*, nPEP** or antiretroviral medication. While the training was delivered virtually, all trainees performed demonstrations and were tested after the training to show knowledge improvement.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program helps farmers and businesses transition from business-as-usual timber production to more sustainable practices. In Vietnam, FSC-certified wood is sold for 15-20 percent more than non-certified wood. Since September 2018, the USAID Green Annamites project has worked with the Quang Nam Forestry Development and Investment Joint Stock Company (QNAFOR) to improve forest farmers’ livelihoods by producing FSC-certified timber, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve biodiversity and environmental protection in the upland and mountainous areas.
As international donor funding for HIV treatment declines, Vietnam is utilizing it’s Social Health Insurance (SHI) system to support HIV treatment and medications for people living with HIV. Over the last nine months, USAID’s Global Health Supply Chain, Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project has provided intensive technical assistance to enhance the capacity of Vietnam Social Security (VSS), which oversees SHI, with managing health commodities, including developing an electronic management information system (eMIS) to monitor supply and usage of SHI-covered HIV medications. On August 17, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene officially handed over the eMIS to VSS General Deputy Director Dr. Pham Luong Son.
In partnership with the global healthcare company Novartis, from June to July 2020, the USAID Improving Access, Curriculum and Teaching in Medical Education and Emerging Diseases (IMPACT-MED) Alliance trained 4,559 senior medical students at eight Vietnamese medical schools on COVID-19 care and treatment. This includes working with the universities to develop materials, train the trainers, develop an online platform to deliver virtual training, and cover costs for logistics and professors at in-person trainings. From August 7-14, USAID IMPACT-MED supported Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP) to conduct a series of online trainings for 2,042 senior medical students on COVID-19 epidemic characteristics and pathophysiology, COVID-19 testing procedures, proper use of personal protective equipment, and contact tracing.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.