On December 15, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock, Vice Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen, and representatives of related MOH agencies, Vietnam Social Security, and the Ministry of Finance participated in the launch of the USAID Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) project. This four-year, $13.9 million project is a part of USAID’s global initiative in integrated health systems strengthening to help low and middle-income countries transition to sustainable, self-financed health systems as a means to support access to universal health coverage.

Through the LHSS project, USAID will continue to work with the Government of Vietnam, focusing on four main objectives: (1) Strengthening public financial management systems for the health sector and finding greater efficiencies in social health insurance; (2) Increasing and improving the efficiency of domestic financing of HIV prevention and treatment services; (3) Strengthening the capacity of  Vietnam’s supply chain management system; and (4) Integrating TB services into social health insurance.

So What? Through the LHSS project, USAID will help improve the Government of Vietnam’s capacity to sustainably manage its HIV and TB programs and achieve the country’s goal of ending HIV and TB by 2030.