USAID Mission Director Michael Greene speaks at the USAID SMART TA workshop.
More than 280,000 Vietnamese people have received HIV testing services and 15,000 adults and children have been newly enrolled for antiretroviral treatment (ART) under the project.
Initiated in 2011, SMART TA project has developed and deployed innovative models that addressed gaps in HIV prevention, care and treatment and improved the efficiency of such services.In 2016, the project provided treatment services to more than 23,000 people living with HIV and methadone treatment for nearly 19,000 people who inject drugs, equivalent to over 20% all HIV and methadone treatment patients in Vietnam.
At the seminar, USAID Vietnam Mission Director Michael Greene expressed his pleasure with the important contributions of the SMART TA project to the great results in HIV prevention and control activities in Vietnam.
SMART TA has integrated HIV services into the curative health system where facilities can be reimbursed through Social Health Insurance (SHI). HIV patients in Dien Bien and Nghe An were the first in the country to receive social health insurance reimbursement for HIV services as a result of the programme’s close collaboration with and support for local partners.
The SMART TA project, which was implemented by FHI 260 organisation in collaboration with the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control, has also significantly contributed to policy and national programmes related to HIV prevention and control.
SMART Technical Monitoring Tools are now routinely used to assess and strengthen HIV services. The project’s work to integrate facility health information systems for HIV and health insurance is considered a best practice and is being replicated within and outside Vietnam.