Decision No. 07/2007/QĐ-BYT on approving the National Action Program for Care, Support, and Treatment of People Living with HIV until 2010

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the National Program on Care, Support, and Treatment for People Living with HIV until 2010

To approve the National Program on Care, Support, and Treatment for People Living with HIV until 2010

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THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

Pursuant to Decree No. 49/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 15, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

Pursuant to Decision No. 36/2004/QĐ-TTg dated March 17, 2004 of the Prime Minister approving the National Strategy on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam until 2010 and vision 2020;

Pursuant to Circular No. 6501/VPCP-VX dated November 7, 2006 of the Office of the Government regarding the approval of the Project on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS;

At the proposal of the Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control and the Director of the Drug Administration Department under the Ministry of Health.

DECISION:

Article 1. Approve the National Program on Care, Support, and Treatment for People Living with HIV until 2010 with the following main contents:

1. Objectives of the National Program on Care, Support, and Treatment for People Living with HIV until 2010:

1.1 General Objective: Expand and enhance the quality of services for care, support, and treatment to prolong the lives of people living with HIV, prevent HIV transmission in the community, and contribute to controlling the number of people infected with HIV at below 0.3% of the population in 2010 and not increasing thereafter.

1.2 Specific objectives by 2010:

a) Increase by 10% annually the number of people living with HIV who meet the criteria for treatment according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health to access antiretroviral drugs so that by 2010, approximately 70% of adults and 100% of children living with HIV who meet the criteria for treatment can access antiretroviral drugs, over 90% of tuberculosis patients living with HIV can access antiretroviral drugs;

b) Ensure that at least 50% of HIV/AIDS treatment facilities at all levels have adequate basic equipment for diagnosing and treating AIDS;

c) 70% of counties nationwide have facilities capable of providing outpatient treatment for people living with HIV;

d) Domestic production of antiretroviral drugs can meet 50% of the treatment needs for AIDS patients;

đ) Enhance the capacity of healthcare workers involved in HIV/AIDS care, support, and treatment activities.

2. Implementation measures:

2.1 Social measures:

a) Strengthen the support and participation of Party committees, governments, and relevant ministries, sectors, and mass organizations in the program for care, support, and treatment of HIV/AIDS;

b) Encourage religious organizations, social organizations, charitable organizations, non-governmental organizations, especially people living with HIV and their families to participate in HIV/AIDS care, support, and treatment activities;

c) Strengthen activities against discrimination and stigma in HIV/AIDS care, support, and treatment activities;

d) Gradually complete the system of legal regulations on care, support, and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

2.2 Technical measures:

a) Establish and strengthen the network of HIV/AIDS care and treatment from central to local levels;

b) Develop and promulgate legal regulations, technical procedures, and transition mechanisms to serve the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS throughout the country;

c) Supply basic medical equipment, reagents, and antiretroviral drugs and drugs for opportunistic infections to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS at facilities providing HIV/AIDS treatment;

d) Coordinate and integrate closely the activities of programs within the National Strategy on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS until 2010 with other health programs, particularly the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in hospitals of various ministries and sectors; while strengthening cooperation between the public and private health systems in HIV/AIDS care and treatment activities;

đ) Strengthen monitoring and management, evaluation of HIV/AIDS care and treatment activities;

e) Implement scientific research to serve HIV/AIDS care and treatment.

2.3 Measures to improve management capacity and increase resources:

a) Train and retrain staff involved in HIV/AIDS care and treatment activities at all levels in specialized techniques;

b) Strengthen technical support from higher levels to lower levels in HIV/AIDS treatment activities;

c) Improve the system for data collection, reporting, and management of the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV;

d) Strengthen supervision and inspection of the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV;

đ) Mobilize domestic resources from social organizations, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to ensure funding for the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control shall take the lead and coordinate with the Drug Administration Department, the Treatment Department, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, the National Dermatology Institute, the Central Pediatric Hospital, the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, the Central Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Hospital, and related agencies under ministries and agencies equivalent to ministries under the Government, provincial Departments of Health in planning, organizing implementation, and monitoring and evaluating the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV.

2. Provincial Departments of Health (hereinafter referred to as provincial level) shall advise provincial People's Committees on the organization and implementation of the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV; be responsible for guiding the Provincial Centers for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control or Provincial Preventive Health Centers in planning, organizing implementation, and monitoring and evaluating activities for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV in their respective areas.

3. Provincial Centers for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control or Provincial Preventive Health Centers, under the direction of the Provincial Department of Health, shall coordinate with related units to be responsible for planning, organizing implementation, and monitoring and evaluating activities for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV in their respective areas.

4. District, County, City, and Town Preventive Health Centers shall coordinate with related units in the program for care, support, and treatment of people living with HIV to organize implementation of activities in districts, counties, cities, towns, and communes, wards, and townships in their respective areas.

5. The Commune Health Station shall coordinate with relevant departments, mass organizations, organizations, families, and individuals infected with HIV to organize and implement activities for the care and support of people living with HIV in their respective areas.

Article 3. This Decision shall take effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 4. The Heads of the Office, the Director of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Health, the Director of the Department of Medicines Administration under the Ministry of Health, the Heads of the Treatment Division, the Legal Affairs Division, the heads of units directly under the Ministry, the Directors of Health Departments of provinces and centrally-run cities, the heads of health services of sectors and related units are responsible for implementing this Decision ./.