Vietnam to dole out US$2.75 million for HIV response this year

Vietnam will spend VND60 billion (US$2.75 million) this year on paying for medications for people with HIV in the country following international donors' funding cutback.

Vietnam will spend VND60 billion (US$2.75 million) this year on paying for medications for people with HIV in the country following international donors' funding cutback.

Those covered by public health insurance can receive the medical treatments for free, according to a prime minister's decree.

Vietnam is having 219,163 HIV patients and a third of them have developed AIDS. HIV/AIDS have killed nearly 69,500 people in the country, according to official figures.

HIV patients at a treatment center in Ho Chi Minh City

The first five months of this year saw 3,204 new cases and 438 deaths of AIDS-related causes.

More than 95,000 HIV patients in Vietnam are receiving ARV treatment, which costs around VND14,000 (US$0.64) a day.

Vietnam has been relying on international donors for a large part of of its HIV/AIDS response, but the fundings have decreased for the past few years and will continue to be phased out, according to the Health Ministry.