Mission Vietnam

The Vietnamese economy is growing rapidly, posting growth of 8%. However, 8% of the population, i.e. 1.4 million households, still live below the poverty line. In addition, 263,000 people carry the HIV virus in a country where the use of injectable drugs and prostitution are common practices. Government policy on these issues is repressive which does not help work amongst these at-risk groups.

Developing medical services

Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen provinces

Activities :

Activities: The liberalisation of the 1980s deeply affected the Vietnamese primary healthcare system. Local health posts found that they had been deprived of their traditional public funding, and this had an effect on the quality of the service and the access to healthcare of vulnerable groups. In this context, promoting preventive health by village health workers amongst the most disadvantaged groups (women, children and ethnic minorities) is a priority. In 2005, this preventive health programme developed the following activities:

• mother and child healthcare (health education, integrating the national programme at local level);
• improving health staff's skills;
• access to water and sanitation for homes in three local authorities (construction of water distribution networks, pit latrines, organisation and maintenance, education, etc.)
• nutrition and prevention of childhood illnesses (community development through mothers' groups).
• institutional development of the Hanoi Medical University (HMU).

Outlook :

This project was completed in October 2005 and reached its objectives. The joint venture with Hanoi Medical University is continuing through a community-based access to healthcare programme for vulnerable groups (including drug users and prostitutes) in Tay Ho district in Hanoi.

Access to community-based healthcare

Hanoi

Activities :
This access to community-based healthcare programme for vulnerable groups (including drug users and prostitutes living with HIV/AIDS), in Tay Ho and surrounding districts, is the result of a joint venture between Hanoi Medical University (HMU), the people's committee and Tay Ho district health services, the sub-department for Social Affairs for the Prevention of Social Ills (HSSEP) and MdM. At the request of HSSEP, HMU and MdM proposed offering care, treatment and assistance for people living with HIV/ AIDS at district level in the context of public health services and social action.
At the end of 2005, the following activities had been set up:

• a day care centre was opened as part of a district healthcare centre (HIV testing, primary health consultations, STIs, opportunistic infections, ARV treatment);
• 2 mobile teams (prevention, needle exchange, condom distribution, treatment at home);
• solidarity groups;
• training for healthcare staff and social workers.

Outlook :

Between now and the end of 2006, 300 patients will be screened for HIV/AIDS, 50 patients will receive antiretrovirals and 25,000 people will be contacted by the mobile teams and clubs.

Preventing and treating HIV

Hô Chi Minh City

Activities:

This new three-year programme is based on the previous programme (PHC for the homeless including prostitutes and drug users) and the existing structure (day care centre and mobile teams) and is aimed at the same groups of people.
During the first year of the project the focus was on:

• treating all cases of STIs screened in the day care centre;
• training local staff in HIV prevention and screening for HIV infection;
• setting up an HIV screening centre within the day care centre

Outlook:

Continue STI and HIV/AIDS screening, increase access to treatment for opportunistic infections and STIs. Continue
training staff in HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV-related illnesses and administering ARVs. Increase the number of patients on ARV (53 patients on 31/12/05 150

November 2006