Global Fund pledges to help Viet Nam fight AIDS, TB, malaria
VGP - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is committed to continuing support for Viet Nam to put an end to these three diseases.
The Fund's Executive Director Peter Sands made the pledge at the two-day 49th Global Fund Board Meeting which opened in Ha Noi on May 10.
He appreciated cooperation between the Vietnamese Government and socio-political organizations in helping many people recover from these diseases.
Vietnamese Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that since 2003, the Fund has provided assistance valued at over US$650 million for activities to fight AIDS, TB and malaria in Viet Nam.
It announced in late 2022 that it will fund over US$130 million for these kinds of activities and health system improvement in Vietnam for the 2024-2026 period.
Over the past 20 years, with contributions of the Global Fund, the HIV/AIDS prevention and control program has helped nearly 1 million people be prevented from the virus, and saved nearly 200,000 others from dying from AIDS, said Lan.
In the past two decades, Viet Nam has saved the lives of about 1 million people with TB. Some 100 percent of the population has gained access to the TB prevention and control program.
Meanwhile, in 1991, the whole country recorded more than 1 million cases of malaria, nearly 5,000 deaths and nearly 150 outbreaks. However, in 2022, there were only more than 400 infections, (a decrease of over 90 percent), and no fatalities. In Viet Nam, 42 out of 63 provinces and cities have eliminated malaria.
The minister said that the country has set a goal to basically end AIDS and tuberculosis and eliminate malaria by 2030.
However, each year, Viet Nam still records more than 10,000 cases of HIV infection and about 2,000 AIDS-related deaths.
There are still about 30,000 people living with HIV in the community without knowing their status. In addition, the country still faces a heavy burden on society and healthcare for more than 220,000 people living with the virus.
Therefore, the health minister called on the Global Fund, countries, organizations and individuals to continue providing support for Viet Nam, and share experience to help the country reach the set target./.