Circular No. 128/1999/TT-BTC guides the contents and expenditure levels of the National Program for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control.

CIRCULAR

Guidelines on Content and Expenditure Levels

of the National Program on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDSPursuant to Decree No. 34/CP dated June 1, 1996 of the Government guiding the implementation of the Ordinance on Prevention and Control of Viral Infections Causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS);

Pursuant to Decision No. 531/TTg dated August 8, 1996 of the Prime Minister on managing national programs;

Pursuant to Decision No. 05/1998/QD-TTg dated January 14, 1998 of the Government on managing national target programs;

After reaching consensus with the National Steering Committee for AIDS Prevention and Control (Circular No. 780/UB dated October 11, 1999), the Ministry of Finance guides certain contents and levels of expenditure for the National Program on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS as follows:

1\. The budget for the National Program on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS shall be formed from the following sources: State budget (including foreign aid funds), and mobilized contributions from the public and economic organizations as prescribed by the State. These funding sources shall be managed in accordance with the State Budget Law and related implementing regulations.

2\. Contents and levels of expenditure:

- Expenditure for purchasing equipment, medicines, chemicals, and biological products for professional work.

- Expenditure for information, communication, education activities, printing, production of communication materials, documents, and forms serving the program. Support for radio, television, press, and anti-AIDS campaigns at central and local levels.

- Expenditure for peer education and harm reduction interventions (for groups of people living with HIV/AIDS to help each other and share experiences in preventing transmission to others). Each province shall have a peer education team, receiving one quota, with each quota costing 80,000 VND/month/province.

- Expenditure for training, seminars, scientific research, and operational tasks related to AIDS prevention and control.

- Counterpart funds for receiving loans and grants from projects approved by the Government of Vietnam (if applicable): Costs for receiving, distributing, transporting medicines, chemicals, equipment, rent for premises, salaries for project staff under contractual agreements.

- Expenditure for periodic evaluation of program objectives according to decisions of competent authorities.

- Expenditure for awards according to the decision of the Chairman of the National Steering Committee for AIDS Prevention and Control. The level of awards shall be applied in accordance with Circular No. 24/1999/BTC-TT dated March 4, 1999 and Circular No. 70/1999/BTC-TT dated June 10, 1999 guiding financial management for outstanding achievement awards in economic and social tasks and national defense.

- Remuneration for dedicated AIDS workers in key communes and wards, health workers, and prison wardens directly caring for, treating, and educating people living with HIV/AIDS in Centers 5 and 6, prisons, educational facilities, and juvenile rehabilitation centers: (Each province receives one quota at 80,000 VND/month/province. For key communes and wards (with HIV/AIDS patients), Centers 5 and 6, prisons, educational facilities, and juvenile rehabilitation centers. If there are between 10 to 50 patients, it counts as one quota, if there are 50 or more patients, it counts as two quotas.

- Expenditure for supporting epidemic surveillance officers, outbreak investigation teams, and organizing interventions to prevent spread among the population, with the level of expenditure being the same as remuneration for health workers engaged in disease control at 10,000 VND/day/officer.

- Expenditure for medical personnel directly providing blood testing services for focused monitoring, detection, and screening during blood transfusions, and HIV/AIDS diagnosis (including organizational costs and other expenses, the number of samples for focused monitoring is determined by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the National Steering Committee for AIDS Prevention and Control and assigned to the implementing facility) with the approved expenditure level as follows:

- 5,000 VND/sample for focused monitoring and detection.

- 3,000 VND/sample for screening during HIV/AIDS diagnosis within the approved program plan.

- Expenditure for supporting medical personnel directly treating and caring for AIDS patients in state healthcare facilities, calculated based on actual treatment days, with an expenditure level of 5,000 VND/day/patient.

- Expenditure for subsidizing medication for HIV/AIDS patients who are poor and healthcare providers who have been infected while treating HIV/AIDS patients in state healthcare facilities, at 100,000 VND/patient/year.

- Expenditure for supporting community-based management, care, and counseling activities for people living with HIV/AIDS, with the following levels:

+ Expenditure for supporting personnel organizing social activities, learning exchanges, and information counseling for HIV/AIDS-infected individuals. Expenditure level: 50,000 VND/patient/year.

+ Providing preventive tools against HIV/AIDS infection for people living with HIV/AIDS such as condoms and syringes. Expenditure level: 20,000 VND/person/year.

+ Expenditure for health check-ups and provision of common medications for opportunistic infections every six months. Expenditure level: 30,000 VND/patient/visit.

+ Expenditure for visiting when an AIDS patient dies. Expenditure level: 50,000 VND/patient/deceased.

+ Expenditure for sanitation and hygiene work at healthcare facilities when an HIV/AIDS patient dies. Expenditure level: 100,000 VND/patient/deceased.

- Subsidizing food expenses for HIV/AIDS-infected individuals who are no longer able to work at Centers 5-6 of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs after they have exhausted their benefits from Programs 5 and 6 (six months). The subsidy amount is equal to 50% of the current food allowance for drug addicts and sex workers: Expenditure level: 42,000 VND/person/month for up to six months.

- Expenditure for educational and promotional activities for people living with HIV/AIDS at Centers 5 and 6, prisons, and juvenile rehabilitation centers (supported with communication materials valued at 5,000 VND/patient/month).

- Management and administrative expenditures for the National Program on AIDS Prevention and Control at the central level include: office supplies, office equipment, communication costs, conference costs, inspection work, planning development, within the allocated budget, at a rate of 3% of the total annual budget allocation for the HIV/AIDS prevention and control program.

The management and operation costs of the National AIDS Prevention and Control Program at the central level include: office supplies expenses, office equipment expenses, communication and information costs, conference and summary meeting expenses, seminar expenses, inspection work expenses, planning construction work expenses, within the allocated budget, with a total expenditure amounting to 3% of the annual budget allocated for the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program.

- Annually, the Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control and relevant ministries and sectors to specifically allocate funds for activities at the level of expenditure mentioned above for consistent implementation nationwide within the State budget approved by the National Assembly.

3/ Financial management work:

a/ Budget preparation and allocation work:

The preparation, issuance, and management of program funds shall be carried out in accordance with Circular No. 06/1997/TT-LBKH-TC dated April 29, 1997, issued by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance guiding the implementation of Decision No. 531/1996/QD-TTg dated August 8, 1996, of the Prime Minister on managing national programs, Circular No. 103/1998/TT-BTC dated July 8, 1998, of the Ministry of Finance guiding the delegation, preparation, execution, and settlement of the State budget, and current state-managed program target documents.

Annually, based on the Prime Minister's directive on developing socio-economic plans; the Circular guiding and allocating budgetary control numbers for State budget expenditures issued by the Ministry of Finance, the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control shall allocate budgetary control numbers for ministries, sectors, and localities to submit to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment for review, balancing, consolidation, and submission to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly and the Government for approval, and the Ministry of Finance shall notify the expenditure tasks for ministries, sectors, and localities.

- Upon receipt of the program budget notification, ministries, sectors, and provincial-level People's Committees shall allocate and issue detailed budgets for direct program fund users according to the content sent to the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control - Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

- Units allocated program funds shall prepare detailed budgets according to the content and State budget item list and send them to the Ministry of Finance and the program supervisory agency.

b/ Issuance of AIDS prevention and control program funds:

- For centrally implemented funds: Based on the annual budget assigned and the approved budget document according to the State budget item list, units directly using program funds shall prepare quarterly expenditure budgets according to the State budget item list and send them to the higher supervisory agency and the State Treasury where transactions take place. The higher supervisory agency shall consolidate and send to the Ministry of Finance for direct issuance by quota to central ministries and sectors.

- For locally implemented funds: Based on the assigned annual budget, from 2000, the Ministry of Finance will allocate to localities in accordance with the current financial regulations of the Government.

- For special cases requiring centralized procurement of specialized materials and equipment for AIDS prevention work, the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control shall undertake procurement and supply, maintaining records (quantity, value) of usage in accordance with current state asset and material management regulations.

4/ Inspection and settlement of program funds:

Units using program funds must maintain accounting books to record, account for, and settle program funds according to the accounting system for administrative and public institutions issued together with Decision No. 999/1996/QD-BTC dated November 2, 1996, of the Minister of Finance and Circular No. 103/1998/TT-BTC dated July 18, 1998, of the Ministry of Finance guiding the delegation, preparation, execution, and settlement of the State budget.

- For annual settlement reports of units receiving funds from localities, after having the audit and review report from the local Department of Finance and Prices, the AIDS prevention office shall consolidate and send to the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control for consolidation and submission to the Ministry of Finance.

- Central ministries and sectors are responsible for consolidating and reporting the overall settlement of program funds implemented by central ministries and sectors.

- The National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control shall cooperate with the Ministry of Finance to conduct regular and spot checks on the use of funds for the National Program for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in ministries, sectors, and localities.

This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of signature and replaces Circular No. 21-TC/HCSN dated April 9, 1996, and No. 78-TC/HCSN dated December 16, 1996. All previous provisions inconsistent with the contents of this Circular are abolished.

During implementation, if any difficulties are found, please reflect them to the Ministry of Finance for consideration and resolution.