Decision No. 20/2006/QĐ-BYT on approving the National Action Program on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV for the period 2006-2010

Pursuant to …;

Regarding the approval of the National Action Program

on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV for the period 2006-2010

___________________

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 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Vietnam until 2010 with a vision to 2020;

Based on the proposal of the Director of the Department of Reproductive Health and the Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Health.

Pursuant to …;

Article 1. Approve the National Action Program on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV for the period 2006-2010 (attached herewith) with the main contents as follows:

1. Objectives of the National Action Program on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV for the period 2006-2010:

Determining the Administrative Reform Index to monitor and evaluate in a substantive, objective, and fair manner the annual implementation results of administrative reform of ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries (referred to as ministries), and people's committees of provinces and central-supervised cities (referred to as provinces) during the implementation of the Comprehensive Program on Administrative Reform of State Agencies for the 2011-2020 period.

Controlling the rate of children infected with HIV due to mother-to-child transmission below 10% by 2010.

b) Specific objectives by 2010:

- Controlling the rate of pregnant women infected with HIV at less than 0.5%;

- 90% of pregnant women receiving counseling on HIV/AIDS and 60% of pregnant women voluntarily tested for HIV;

- 100% of pregnant women infected with HIV and their children (those under management) receiving preventive treatment for HIV transmission;

- 90% of HIV-infected mothers and their children (those under management) continuing to be monitored and cared for after childbirth.

2. Implementation measures:

a) Social measures:

- Strengthening support and participation in the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV from all levels of government and relevant mass organizations;

- Establishing community-based care and support systems for HIV-infected mothers and children based on collaboration between health agencies and local authorities;

- Gradually perfecting legal documents on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV;

- Consolidating and increasing investment in social welfare centers to enhance their capacity to accept and care for orphaned children infected with HIV without family support in provinces and cities.

b) Technical measures:

- Intensifying information, education, and communication activities to raise awareness among men and women of reproductive age about the risk of HIV infection and the possibility of mother-to-child transmission of HIV;

- Enhancing early prevention activities to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV: Encouraging safe sexual behavior, especially among women of reproductive age; Providing pre-marriage counseling on HIV/AIDS for both men and women, particularly for women during pregnancy and before delivery to encourage voluntary HIV testing; Early pregnancy management to detect HIV risks; Early detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections in women of reproductive age;

- Ensuring adequate antiretroviral drugs for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV from central to district levels;

- Providing preventive treatment for HIV-infected pregnant women during pregnancy and labor; Applying preventive measures during delivery. Counseling on feeding methods for HIV-infected mothers;

- Caring for HIV-infected children and children with HIV-infected parents: Increasing access to antiretroviral drugs (in coordination with the ARV program), prophylactic drugs for opportunistic infections, and treatment drugs for opportunistic infections for HIV-infected mothers and children. Supporting and advising relevant agencies to establish centers for caring for orphaned children infected with HIV without family support in large provinces and cities;

- Conducting research within the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

c) Measures to enhance management capacity and increase resources:

- Enhancing the capacity of the system working on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV: Organizing training and retraining courses for healthcare workers directly involved in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV at all levels on related preventive measures;

- Strengthening supervision and monitoring of the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV at all levels;

- Mobilizing domestic resources from central and local health programs, social organizations, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to ensure funding for the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The Department of Reproductive Health shall take the lead and coordinate with the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the Department of Treatment, the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, the Central Children's Hospital, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, the Nutrition Institute, the Health Education and Communication Center, the Ministry of Health to have the responsibility to guide planning, coordinate with units to organize and implement activities to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV as well as to implement activities to monitor and evaluate the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

2. The Center for Maternal and Child Health Protection and Family Planning shall take the lead and coordinate with the Provincial Centers for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, relevant units to have the responsibility to plan, organize and implement, and monitor and evaluate activities to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the province.

3. The District Health Center shall cooperate with relevant units in the program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the district to organize and implement activities in districts, towns, and communes in the province, and villages, wards, and towns.

Article 3. The Standard Measurement Quality Control Department shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the implementation of the Regulations adopted herein.

Article 4. Directors of the Office, Directors of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Directors of the Department of Reproductive Health, the Department of Treatment, the Legal Affairs Department, Heads of subordinate units under the Ministry, Directors of Health Departments of centrally governed cities and provinces, Heads of health sectors and relevant units are responsible for implementing this Decision./.