AHF/Vietnam Cares and VAAC Collaborative Celebrate Vietnam’s First “HIV Medics Training Program” Graduation
Nation’s First Class of HIV/AIDS Treatment Extenders consists of 31 People Living with HIV/AIDS
By: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Guang Ninh, Vietnam - July 2, 2009
The Graduation Ceremony of Vietnam’s first class of “HIV MEDICS” AHF Vietnam Cares, VAAC and the Quang Ninh Medical College and Health Department collaborative HIV Medics training program in Vietnam was held at the Quang Ninh Medical College on the 26th June 2009. The first group of 31 students enrolled in the training course has graduated, and seven of the Medics graduated with honors/distinction. The graduation ceremony was graced by representatives from the the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Administration of AIDS Control, The Provincial Health Department of Quang Ninh, The National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Disease, Vice Dean, Quang Ninh Medical College, Department of Science and training, Provincial AIDS Control Centre of QUang Ninh, The People Committee, Department of Invalid and Social Affairs, Department of Social Evil Control and Prevention, The teachers and students of the Quang Ninh Medical College and from the general community. “The VAAC is grateful to AHF Vietnam Cares and the Quang Ninh Medical College for the support to this new program that will add HIV service workers to provide better treatment and care services for PLHAs. The HIV Medics will play crucial role in our fight with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. We wish to continue and expand the HIV Medics program and build a strong force of HIV Medics to assist healthcare professionals involved in HIVAIDS treatment and care programs,” said Professor Bui Duc Duong.
“Bringing the HIV Medics program to Vietnam will help usher more HIV positive people and those already living with AIDS into care and treatment and help build more cadre in the fight against the epidemic in Vietnam. AHF thanks Ministry of Health, VAAC for this innovative task shifting program and creative a force of para- professional to help in better provision of treatment and care for people with HIV/AIDS. We thank all who were involved in securing this exciting new training partnership,” Michael Weinstein, President- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).
“I cannot begin to express how happy I am that all of you have graduated the HIV Medic program. I know you have worked hard to understand all the topics and clinicals needed to provide excellent care and treatment to others with HIV/AID,” said Mary Adair, Director of Task Shifting Projects, AHF Global.
“We are honored to collaborate with MOH/VAAC on the HIV Medics and thank their support. The innovative HIV/AIDS education program conceived, developed and initiated by AHF to train lay people as HIV Medics – a paraprofessional healthcare worker trained to assist clinicians and nurses in the provision of Anti-retroviral therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Vietnam Program is unique, as the first class of HIV medics are all people living with HIV/AIDS(PLHAs), and the Vietnamese government has committed to provide 100% placement for each of the graduates, which will help unburden the tasks of HIV service providing doctors and nurses,” Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, AHF Global.
“It was a big challenge for us at the Quang Ninh Medical College to train these lay people in the HIV Medic curricula provided by VAAC/AHF Vietnam Cares. We are impressed by the hard work and determination of the students: the fact that they have all passed their examinations and graduated is highly commendable. We wish them all success in their work,” said Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Vice Dean of Quang Ninh Medical College.
The HIV Medics Program developed in 2004 by AHF is an innovative solution to the shortage of healthcare workers in resource-constrained settings. The program comprise of an intensive training program where laypeople are trained to become paraprofessional “extenders” of treatment who provide basic triage and intensive adherence support, and assist in the provision of ART. The program was piloted in Uganda and has been WHO-cited “best practices” task-shifting program. HIV Medics take on some of the clinical, counseling and administrative responsibilities from nurses and doctors so that the clinical team is able to care for and treat larger numbers of patients in less time. The HIV Medics was developed focused on supporting local capacity and creating partnerships that allow country nationals to play a lead role in day-to-day operations, AHF’s programs are designed to be sustainable, scalable, and replicable.
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 Vietnam AHF operates four clinics working with PEPFAR. MOH – VAAC and with Provincial Health Department and Provincial AIDS Control Centre. 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.
