AHF Vietnam Cares opens its 3rd ART Clinic in Bac Giang in collaboration with VAAC.

AHF Vietnam Cares in collaboration with VAAC and the Bac Giang provincial Health department and the Bac Giang Provincial AIDS Control Centre open its 3rd ART Clinic today at 9:30 AM.

By: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Bac Giang, Vietnam - June 22, 2009

AHF Vietnam Cares in collaboration with VAAC and the Bac Giang provincial Health department and the Bac Giang Provincial AIDS Control Centre open its 3rd ART Clinic today at 9:30 AM. Dignitaries from Vietnam  Administration of AIDS Control  (VAAC) headed by  Professor Bui Duc Duong, Vice Director of VAAC, Dr.Le Thi Huong, Deputy Chief of Care and Treatment Division, VAAC and other officials of VAAC grace this landmark occasion, Dr. Tran Van Sinh, Vice Director of Bac Giang Provincial Health Department, Dr. Nguyen Thi Ban, Director of Bac Giang Provincial AIDS Control Centre, the local organizations Women Union, Youth Union, PLHA networks, Officials of the Provincial Preventive Medicine Centre, The Provincial General Hospital Staff were present attend the same. AHF team was represented by Dr Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Country Program Coordinator and other staff of AHF Vietnam Cares were present to grace the occasion.
“Bac Giang Province is fortunate to have the support of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and we are grateful that this collaboration and strong commitment of both AHF and VAAC to support the people living with HIVAIDS will bring high quality care services. We shall fully extend all necessary support to AHF and make sure that the program is implemented successfully and efficiently”   said Professor Bui Duc Duong.  “We hope that AHF will continue to expand its presence to provide better services and strengthen the ART Clinics for people with HIVAIDS in various provinces” he added.
 
“ We are fully committed to support the AHF Vietnam Cares and VAAC Collaborative ART Clinic and make sure that the program will reach out to the community and bring better healthcare to the people who needed HIV treatment services” said Dr. Tran Van Sinh.
 
“ We are truly honored for the opportunity given to us by VAAC and the Bac Giang Provincial Health Department and the AIDS Control center to extend our services to provide support and life saving ARV treatment services for people living with HIVAIDS in Bac Giang. We shall jointly ensure that we set a model that encompassed various successful experiences AHF has globally to ensure the delivery of high quality treatment and care services and build the skills and the capacity of the service providers in Bac Giang” said Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
 
Ms Nguyen Thi Nhung a PLHA representative for Bac Giang Self Help group spoke at the opening ceremony and said “On behalf of more than 3000 PLHAs in the province we thank AIDS Healthcare Foundation and VAAC for supporting PAC to open this Clinic. We are very happy that we will be able to access the ART and other services at our doorsteps. We hope that this clinic will bring many changes for PLHAs lives and it also is our hope that the community will support the project and help reduce stigma and discrimination of PLHAs”

AHF Vietnam Cares will provide technical and financial support of the healthcare services providers’ continuing education and training programs, ART treatment, care and support services, peer education and outreach activities. VAAC will provide National treatment guidelines, technical support and ARV drugs for the Collaborative Project at Bac Giang. The project targets to provide life saving ART, HIV care services to over 300 patients by December 2009.
 
AHF Vietnam Cares established in 2007, the program carries forward the vision and mission of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and implements life saving Anti-retroviral treatment, care and support, prevention and public healthcare programs Vietnam. In the Asia/Pacific region, AIDS Healthcare Foundation currently provides free anti-retroviral treatment and services to people in need through its clinics and programmes in India, Nepal, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and China.