Speaking at the event, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan emphasised that HIV is not only an infectious disease but can be a public health issue in each country and the world as a whole.
This year marks 40 years since the world first discovered the HIV virus, she said, adding that Vietnam has spent 33 years responding to the HIV pandemic with nearly 250,000 infected people nationwide.
She noted that the country has been gradually working on containing the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Over recent years, the Ministry of Health has worked closely with relevant ministries, sectors and localities across the country to implement drastic, comprehensive and synchronous measures to prevent and control HIV/AIDS, making Vietnam highly appreciated by international organisations for gaining remarkable results in this work.
The health minister asked local authorities to increase investment, budget allocation, and financial funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and control and integrate HIV/AIDS prevention and control into their socio-economic development plans.
She also called for further financial and technical support from international organisations and governments to help Vietnam access advanced technologies, new initiatives, and good practices on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.
For her part, Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi emphasised that 2024 is an important milestone for the nation’s response to HIV/AIDs, noting that this is the final year before the country finishes the first five years of implementing the National Strategy on ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
