Speeches Shim
At the recent Country Operational Plan approval meetings in Washington D.C., Vietnam was singled out for having the highest rates of HIV viral suppression among all PEPFAR countries. Viral suppression (defined as less than 1,000 copies of HIV virus per milliliter of blood) is the gold standard by which the effectiveness of HIV treatment is measured. When an HIV positive patient achieves viral suppression, not only does s/he have a significantly increased likelihood of improved health outcomes, but it also largely decreases their likelihood of transmitting HIV.
Through our Improving Access, Curriculum and Teaching in Medical Education and Emerging Diseases (IMPACT-MED) Alliance, USAID is working with Vietnam to enhance the quality and effectiveness of medical education provided in institutions across the country. In late March, IMPACT-MED invited Harvard Medical School to conduct a curriculum reform training for 60 faculty members from four IMPACT-MED partner medical universities.
To stop the transmission of HIV, it is important to use every means possible to find and link new cases to treatment. This includes strengthening diagnoses outside of typical voluntary HIV counseling and testing sites. To do this, USAID’s Sustainable HIV Response From Technical Assistance (SHIFT) Project trains health care providers of the country’s largest healthcare facilities to deliver hospital-based and provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling.
In a socialist-oriented market economy, Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises do not conform to international best practice. Vietnam wants to achieve international best practice and is, therefore, revising its 2004 Competition Law. One main objective is to improve the legal and regulatory framework relating to the activities of Vietnam’s state-owned enterprises in conformity with the World Trade Organization and international trade agreements.
The HIV prevalence rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam has increased in recent years, especially in urban areas. To address this, USAID’s Sustainable HIV Response from Technical Assistance activity partnered with provincial health authorities and community-based organizations to combine online and in-person HIV outreach and testing services to engage hard-to-reach MSMs.
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