A doctor conducts healthcheck to a HIV-infected child in Giao Thuy District, Binh Dinh Province (Photo: VNA) Morethan 14,700 children affected by HIV/AIDS have received full healthcare,education and nutritional assistance after a national action plan beganimplementation three years ago.
The2014-2020 National Action Plan for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS has thus farcovered 70 percent of the targeted children.
Theplan defines children affected by HIV/AIDS disease as those who have contractedHIV, those whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS, those living with HIV/AIDSparents, and those with high risk of HIV/AIDS because their parents weredrug-users or commercial sex workers.
Thefigures were revealed at the meeting organised in Hanoi by the Ministry ofLabour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to summarise initial results ofthe action plan.
MoLISADeputy Minister Dao Hong Lan said 248 of 345 centres across the country havebeen equipped with essential skills to take care for children affected byHIV/AIDS.
Atpresent, 84 percent of schools in the country were admitting children affectedby HIV/AIDS, Lan said.
Vietnamnow has about 21,000 children affected by HIV/AIDS, including 6,800 living withHIV/AIDS.
Amongthe goals set in the action plan are to provide healthcare, education andnutritional assistance to 90 percent of affected children by 2020; to equip 90 percentof centres with skills needed to care for children affected by HIV/AIDS; and tohave 100 percent of schools in the country admit children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Challengesremain
Despitethe progress made, challenges remained in assisting children affected byHIV/AIDS, Lan said.
Publicawareness of taking care of and protecting children affected by HIV/AIDS hadnot improved as expected, she said, adding that children affected by the virusand disease still faced discrimination.
HoangDinh Canh, deputy head of the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control, saidlack of knowledgeable staff at HIV/AIDS child care centres was one of thechallenges.
Themeeting heard that 27 provinces and cities had failed to spend enough money oncaring for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Taskforce
Lansaid her ministry would work with the Health Ministry and the Ministry ofEducation and Training to meet the national action plan’s targets.
Atask force with officials and experts from the three ministries would work tooutline the most effective model for supporting children affected by HIV/AIDSin the remaining four years (2017-20), she said.
“Therewould be more frequent dissemination of information to raise public awarenessand reduce discrimination in our society,” she said.-VNA
VNA
