Country Highlights

In March 2004, the Government of Vietnam released the National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS Prevention for 2004-2010 with a Vision to 2020. The strategy provides the framework for a comprehensive national response to the epidemic, calling for mobilization of government, party and community level organizations across multiple sectors. In the last decade, the Government of Vietnam issued several ordinances, decrees and guidance as the legal framework for HIV/AIDS activities with most of the measures focusing on prevention. HIV prevalence in Vietnam remains approximately less than half of one percent, and the Ministry of Health has projected 292,930 HIV cases for 2007.

The government of Vietnam's target for patients on antiretrovirals (ARVs) by 2010 is 70%. To help meet this goal, SCMS has, since June 2006, delivered or committed to procure approximately $9.4 million in HIV and AIDS commodities, supporting sites in 7 designated provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City. These ARVs support over 14,600 people who are currently on treatment under the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.

SCMS’s hands-on approach in Vietnam is aimed at improving HIV/AIDS efforts in two critical ways – distribution and dispensing of drugs. These efforts build on Vietnam’s existing system by identifying opportunities to improve operations.

Working with the Vietnam Administration for AIDS Control (VAAC) at the Ministry of Health, SCMS’s key objectives in Vietnam are:

• Information Sharing – improve collection of data and information sharing to drive coordinated, cost-effective decision-making.
• Capacity Building in Quantification, Procurement and Distribution – help ensure that supply chain logistics across all supply chain system organizations are effectively managed and overseen, and build site capacity for storing and dispensing drugs, for lab systems to collect data and promote ordering, and for the clearing, warehousing and distribution of drugs.
• Capacity Building for site-level dispensers – Provide training to clinical site dispensers so patients receive high quality, best-value health products and the information they need to properly adhere to their medications.

Value of commodities delivered as of October 2008: Over $7.8 million

Progress to date:

• SCMS is working with the Government of Vietnam to maintain a system to ensure that the PEPFAR-supported government sites in Vietnam receive continuous supplies of ARV medicines. This solution includes the creation of a site reporting system, a centralized data collection point, and a centralized warehousing/distribution system through Central Pharmaceutical Company #1.

• SCMS contributed to the Joint Circular Guiding the Finance Management Mechanism for Medicines and Medical Equipment/Materials donated by PEPFAR. This circular will help reduce the paperwork required for importing humanitarian aid and can be helpful to other donor projects.

• SCMS is also working closely with the Government of Vietnam to ensure that there are continuous supplies of ARVS to support the Global Fund and National program clinical sites, in order to ensure that the medicines are used most efficiently in order to avoid expiry situation.
• SCMS imported methadone for the new methadone treatment program here in Vietnam. This was the first narcotics shipment ever processed by SCMS for any of the PEPFAR countries, and required considerable coordination to make it happen.