US helps control AIDS in Vietnam
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partner, PATH, on Tuesday celebrated the completion of the eight-year USAID/PATH Healthy Markets project and launched the new five-year USAID/PATH STEPS project which aims to end HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.
USAID/Vietnam Deputy Mission Director Bradley Bessire speaks at the event.
The USD20.7 million USAID/PATH Healthy Markets project ran from 2014 to 2021 and was funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Through the project, USAID and PATH worked with the Ministry of Health’s Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) to generate sustainable approaches for increasing investment in, demand for, and supply of transformational HIV-related goods and services.
USAID/PATH Healthy Markets was a key partner to the Ministry of Health on its introduction and scale-up of new and innovative approaches like HIV community-based testing, self-testing, and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP—three key services that contributed to a 57 percent reduction in new HIV infections over the past decade.
Through Healthy Markets–supported models alone, nearly 218,000 people were tested for HIV in the community and 8,986 people newly diagnosed with HIV were enrolled on lifesaving treatment. In addition, more than 46,000 HIV self-test kits were distributed and 16,700 people enrolled on PrEP, an oral pill that effectively prevents HIV infection when taken as prescribed.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Mission Director, USAID/Vietnam, Bradley Bessire said that over the past eight years, USAID support addressed critical gaps in accessible, affordable, community-based HIV care while strengthening the domestic market for HIV-related goods and services.
"As we step up the fight against HIV in Vietnam, our next project will focus on ensuring sustainability of our collective progress and addressing key remaining gaps to ultimately help Vietnam achieve its commitment to end AIDS by 2030," he said.
At today’s event, USAID also announced STEPS, a new five-year, USD15 million project in partnership with PATH and its core partner, Glink Vietnam, to maintain the momentum of Healthy Markets and catalyze greater HIV- and primary health care-related market growth.
At the launch event, Associate Professor Phan Thi Thu Huong, Director of Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control, said that USAID/PATH Healthy Markets had continued to accelerate innovative health solutions that significantly contribute to the HIV/AIDS response in Vietnam.
"I trust that you will continue to maintain your momentum and the inspiring energy moving into the new USAID/PATH STEPS project,” she said.
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