DIRECTIVE

ON ENHANCING THE WORK OF HIV/AIDS PREVENTION AND COMBAT

Over the past 10 years, the work of HIV/AIDS prevention and combat has been deployed nationwide and gained some encouraging results: the system of HIV/AIDS-prevention and -combat organizations has been set up and put into operation soon; medical methods have been applied synchronously; peoples awareness of HIV/AIDS as well as the HIV/AIDS prevention and combat have positively changed However, HIV/AIDS-infected cases continue to rise and the epidemic has spread to all provinces and cities, 80% of rural districts and more than 50% of communes nationwide. According to the Health Ministrys reports, today, more than 59,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS all over the country, of whom over 8,700 people have suffered from, and over 4,800 people have died of, AIDS.

The number of people infected with HIV/AIDS increases rapidly mostly due to the increase of social evils, especially prostitution and drug addiction; the coordination in HIV/AIDS prevention and combat between the ministries, branches and localities remains loose; the communitys perception about people infected with HIV/AIDS is still incomprehensive; the management, care and treatment of people infected with HIV/AIDS have not yet got into groove, the propagation on HIV/AIDS prevention and combat has not yet been implemented extensively and intensively; preventive methods remain weak and HIV/AIDS prevention and combat activities at the grassroots level have failed to yield practical results.

In order to overcome the above-said shortcomings and raise the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention and combat activities, the Prime Minister instructs:

1. The Ministry of Culture and Information shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the ministries, branches, provincial/municipal Peoples Committees, socio-political organizations and mass associations in enhancing the work of information, education and communication in diversified and appropriate forms, with a view to raising the responsibilities of the Party Committees of various levels and local administrations for HIV/AIDS prevention and combat; guiding the communitys perception along the direction of sympathizing with, and not discriminating against, people infected with HIV/AIDS; clearing the psychology of fear among people; encouraging families to love and take care of their HIV/AIDS-infected members; and educating people, especially youngsters, in healthy lifestyle as well as the practices of safe sex and injection.

2. The Ministry of Public Security shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Committee for Population, Families and Children in studying and formulating mechanisms for management of children, prostitutes and drug addicts infected with HIV/AIDS, who are in reformatories or education camps, jails, detention camps and houses; to formulate the plans and organize the efficient application of prophylactic methods with a view to reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS from groups of people highly prone to HIV/AIDS infection to others within the communities.

3. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance and the Committee for Population, Families and Children in studying and formulating the mechanism for management, care and education of children, prostitutes and drug addicts infected with HIV/AIDS living in the communities; direct the local Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs offices in coordinating with health agencies of the same level in managing, advising and taking care of people infected with HIV/AIDS living in communities, medical treatment establishments set up under the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations and social relief centers.

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5. The Ministry of Education and Training shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Health and other ministries and branches in elaborating HIV/AIDS prevention and combat programs with suitable contents and organize the teaching thereof in all schools.

6. The Ministry of Health shall have the responsibilities:

a) To strengthen and consolidate HIV/AIDS-prevention and -combat organizations from central to local levels, ensuring uniformity and high efficiency in the direction and implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention and combat activities.

b) To enhance interventional activities in order to minimize harms and restrict the spread of HIV/AIDS among communities. To boost the work of HIV/AIDS epidemic surveillance, safe blood transfusion, as well as treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS spread from mothers to children; to prevent and fight sexually transmitted diseases; to enhance the prevention and combat of HIV/AIDS spread through medical services.

c) To assume the prime responsibility in formulating and organizing the implementation of plans for management and care of people infected with HIV/AIDS. To organize the study and formulation of projects on production of HIV/AIDS curative medicines for submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

d) To assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice and concerned ministries and branches in synthesizing and evaluating the implementation results of, and proposing amendments and supplements to, the Ordinance on prevention and combat of HIV/AIDS infection in human beings. To strictly comply with national and international commitments of the Vietnamese Government on HIV/AIDS prevention and combat.

7. The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the presidents of the Peoples Committees shall have to coordinate with various committees, branches, socio-political organizations and social organizations in directing and organizing the implementation of this Directive and periodically report the implementation results to the Ministry of Health for the latter to synthesize and report such to the Prime Minister.

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