In her speech, Director of the Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department Phan Thi Thu Huong presented Vietnam’s experience in expanding the PrEP programme, including various service models and new initiatives in each model.
Following the World Health Organisation’s recommendation on the efficacy of PrEP, Vietnam began to trial the treatment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2017 and expanded it to 29 provinces and cities with 210 PrEP providers.
As of June 30, the number of people taking PrEP in Vietnam was estimated at 52,000.
With the support of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Global Fund and its partners, a variety of PrEP models have been implemented successfully both at public and private healthcare facilities.
The majority of models are simple and easily accessible to people who wish to use PrEP.
Despite certain successes brought about by PrEP, more investment and efforts are needed in the future, to realise the goal of ending AIDS by 2030. At the conference, Vietnam also made several suggestions for PrEP, including piloting long-acting PrEP and continuing the implementation of models and initiatives in providing
PrEP as well as measures to ensure the sustainability of PrEP.
