The use of reproductive healthcare at commune health stations in a changing health system in Vietnam

Background: With health sector reform in Vietnam moving towards greater pluralism, commune health stations (CHSs) have been subject to growing competition from private health services and increasing numbers of patients bypassing CHSs for higher-level health facilities. This study describes the pattern of reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) service utilization among women at CHSs and other health facilities, and explores socio demographic determinants of RH service utilization at the CHS level

Community-led HIV testing services including HIV self-testing and assisted partner notification services in Vietnam: lessons from a pilot study in a concentrated epidemic setting.

INTRODUCTION: The HIV epidemic in Vietnam is concentrated in key populations and their partners - people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, sex workers and partners of people living with HIV. These groups have poor access to and uptake of conventional HIV testing services (HTS). To address this gap, lay provider- and self-testing and assisted partner notification (aPN) were introduced and delivered by the community. We explored the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing aPN as part of community testing services for key populations. METHODS: Lay provider testing and self-testing was started in January 2017, and targeted key populations and their partners. Since July 2017, aPN was introduced. HTS was offered at drop-in houses or coffee shops in Thai Nguyen and Can Tho provinces. All self-testing was assisted and observed by peer educators. Both in-person and social network methods were used to mobilize key populations to test for HIV and offer HTS to partners of people living with HIV. Client-level data, including demographic information and self-reported risk behaviour, were collected on site by peer educators. RESULTS: Between January 2017 and May 2018, 3978 persons from key populations were tested through community-led HTS; 66.7% were first-time testers. Of the 3978 clients, 3086 received HTS from a lay provider and 892 self-tested in the presence of a lay provider. Overall, 245 (6.2% of tested clients) had reactive results, 231 (94.3%) were confirmed to be HIV positive; 215/231 (93.1%) initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART). Of 231 adult HIV-positive clients, 186 (80.5%) were provided voluntary aPN, and 105 of their partners were contacted and received HTS. The ratio of partners who tested for HIV per index client was 0.56. Forty-four (41.9%) partners of index clients receiving HTS were diagnosed with HIV, 97.7% initiated ART during the study period. No social harm was identified or reported. CONCLUSIONS: Including aPN as part of community-led HTS for key populations and their partners is feasible and effective, particularly for reaching first-time testers and undiagnosed HIV clients. Scale-up of aPN within community-led HTS for key populations is essential for achieving the United Nations 90-90-90 targets in Vietnam

Three Reductions, Three Gains (3R3G) Technology in South Vietnam: Searching for Evidence of Economic Impact

The aim of the “Three Reductions, Three Gains” (3R3G) project is to reduce production costs, improve farmers’ health, and protect the environment in irrigated rice production in Vietnam through the reduced use of seeds, nitrogen fertilizer, and pesticides. It was developed by the International Rice Research Institute and introduced to farmers in South Vietnam by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in early 2000 through traditional extension work and mass media. Farm survey data provide evidence of adoption of 3R3G primarily in terms of lowering seed rates. The resultant changes in the farm production/cost structure and farmer profits are measured.information-intensive technology, technology transfer, farm-level impacts, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Productivity Analysis,

CDC in Vietnam

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has worked with the government of Vietnam since 1998 and is celebrating 25 years of partnership in 2023. CDC provides direct technical support and expertise to the Vietnam Ministry of Health (MOH) to build high-quality, sustainable public health systems and scale up programs that address priority diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and influenza. CDC collaborates with the government of Vietnam to strengthen laboratory and surveillance systems to prevent antimicrobial resistance, infections in healthcare settings, and zoonotic and vaccine-preventable diseases. CDC also supports epidemic preparedness and response, helps expand local public health workforce capacity, and provides guidance on emergency management systems that strengthen global health security.CS337176-E | 03/06/2023Vietnam_2023.pd

Shaping the Health Policy Agenda: The Case of Safe Motherhood Policy in Vietnam

Background: Maternal health remains a central policy concern in Vietnam. With a commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 target of maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 70/100 000 by 2015, the Ministry of Health (MoH) issued the National Plan for Safe Motherhood (NPSM) 2003-2010. In 2008, reproductive health, including safe motherhood (SM) became a national health target program with annual government funding. Methods:A case study of how SM emerged as a political priority in Vietnam over the period 2001-2008, drawing on Kingdon’s theory of agenda-setting was conducted. A mixed method was adopted for this study of the NPSM. Results:Three related streams contributed to SM priority in Vietnam: (1) the problem of high MMR was officially recognized from high-quality research, (2) the strong roles of policy champion from MoH in advocating for the needs to reducing MMR as well as support from government and donors, and (3) the national and international events, providing favorable context for this issue to emerge on policy agenda. Conclusion: This paper draws on the theory of agenda-setting to analyze the Vietnam experience and to develop guidance for SM a political priority in other high maternal mortality communities

Neonatal mortality: an invisible and marginalised trauma

Neonatal mortality is a major health problem in low and middle income countries and the rate of improvement of newborn survival is slow. This article is a review of the PhD thesis by Mats Målqvist, titled ‘Who can save the unseen – Studies on neonatal mortality in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam,’ from Uppsala University. The thesis aims to investigate structural barriers to newborn health improvements and determinants of neonatal death. The findings reveal a severe under-reporting of neonatal deaths in the official health statistics in Quang Ninh province in northern Vietnam. The neonatal mortality rate (NMR) found was four times higher than what was reported to the Ministry of Health. This underestimation of the problem inhibits adequate interventions and efforts to improve the survival of newborns and highlights the invisibility of this vulnerable group

Refining policy with the poor: local consultations on the draft comprehensive poverty reduction and growth strategy in Vietnam

In March 2001, the Government of Vietnam produced an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP), and announced its intention to develop a Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (CPRGS) by the end of April 2002. In the I-PRSP, the Government outlined its commitment to involve a broad range of stakeholders - including poor communities, local government authorities, and the enterprise sector - in drafting the CPRGS. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, who was assigned by the Government of Vietnam to lead the CPRGS drafting process, asked the World Bank, and a group of international nongovernmental organizations to support them in carrying out the local consultations. The consultations took place in six rural, and urban locations across Vietnam, selected to represent a range of poverty situations. About 1,800 people participated in the research. This report, which is the first of three volumes documenting the local consultations, provides an account and reflection on the approach, and methodology used in the consultations. It is intended this may give useful practical experience for future monitoring of the CPRGS, as well as for people who are planning to carry out similar exercises in other countries. The report outlines the process that was followed from the point of developing a research outline from the I-PRSP, through the fieldwork exercises, data compilation, and analysis, leading on to identification of the main policy messages made by the participants. It also describes how the findings were used to influence the final version of the CPRGS.Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Public Health Promotion,ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Poverty Reduction Strategies,Poverty Assessment,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Achieving Shared Growth,Urban Partnerships&Poverty

Stakeholder engagement in late-stage translation phase 4 research for noncommunicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries : what works and why—the Vietnam experience (UMMS–Vietnam Team)

Background: Stakeholder engagement is crucial for conducting high-quality implementation research as well as for the incorporation and adoption of health interventions and policies in the community. Objectives: This study sought to build a mutually rewarding collaboration between stakeholders in Vietnam and investigators in the United States. Methods: A collaboration was established between investigators from several institutions in Vietnam and the University of Massachusetts Medical School that was built on mutual trust, cross-cultural learning, and shared experiences. This collaborative arrangement has led to sustainable stakeholder engagement in Vietnam. We formed a multidisciplinary transnational research team and maintained regular contact both online and in person. We also conducted a needs assessment study, in which several focus group discussions and in-depth interviews of stakeholders in Vietnam were carried out. Results: The formal collaboration between investigators in Vietnam and the University of Massachusetts Medical School began in 2011 and has strengthened over time. The U.S. team provided expertise in study and intervention design, data collection and analysis, and trial implementation, whereas the team in Vietnam brought a deep understanding of local health care delivery systems and expertise in the delivery of health care interventions at the grassroots level. Our initial partnership has now grown to include committed individuals at the government, academic, and community levels including the Vietnam Ministry of Health, key governmental and nongovernmental research institutions and agencies, medical and public health universities, and communities in rural settings. The needs assessment study found that there are important gaps in the delivery of hypertension management practices in many rural communities in Vietnam and that stakeholders are fully engaged in our ongoing, community-based, hypertension-control project. Conclusions: Multiple layers of stakeholders and communities in Vietnam are fully engaged with, and have contributed significantly to, our ongoing hypertension control research project in Northern Vietnam. © 2019 World Heart Federation (Geneva). **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Huy Nguyen” is provided in this record*