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The Vietnam News

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Japan Grants US$3.6 MLN to Vietnam Hiv-Aids Project

HANOI - The Japanese government will provide 382 million yen (US$ 3.6 million) in non-refundable aid for a project on "Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS Transmission in Vietnam". The exchange of notes to the effect was made in Hanoi on June 27 by Minister of Public Health Do Nguyen Phuong and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Takeshi Nakamura.

The project will provide medical and communications equipment for 10 provinces and cities, namely Ho Chi Minh city, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Lam Dong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tien Giang, Can Tho, Long An, Kien Giang, An Giang, Pasteur Institute-Ho Chi Minh City and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology. The project aims to contribute to prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam through strengthening HIV epidemiological surveillance capacity through consolidation and improvement of the quality of laboratory system, strengthening HIV/AIDS self-diagnosis capacity in provincial level and expansion of HIV sentinel surveillance in Vietnam, improving safe blood and blood products transfusion in 10 provinces, improving sexually-transmitted illness (STI) control activities and STI surveillance in Vietnam, improving awareness of people on HIV/AIDS prevention through information, education and communications (IEC) activities, and promote condom use and distribution in project provinces.

The project, which will be carried out from June 2000 to March 2001, has the biggest funding so far for HIV/AIDS prevention and control in the country. The Japanese government has, over recent years, helped Vietnam's health sector implement a number of projects including the Cho Ray Hospital refurbishment and Bach Mai Hospital upgrading projects, a project to upgrade facilities and equipment for nine hospitals in Hanoi and another to provide equipment and vaccines for the national expanded immunization program. Vietnam had by June 15 detected 20,378 HIV positive cases across the country. Of the figure, 3,598 people have developed full-blown AIDS and 1,851 had died.

Vietnam News Agency - June 28, 2000.