According to the DFID, the sum will be added to the ongoing US$33 million World Bank programme, to form a joint programme to enhance the country’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.
This joint programme, to run until December 2012, has a stronger focus on infection reduction and expands its reach to up to 40 cities and provinces.
Head of the DFID Vietnam Fiona Louise Lappin said “Helping the Government to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS has been one of DFID’s priorities in Vietnam.
“The US$30 million invested in this programme will prevent an estimated 28,000 new infections and consequently create US$97 million net savings on direct treatment costs,” the official said.
The programme will support the Government’s targets to keep the rate of HIV amongst intravenous drug users below 20 percent and amongst sex workers below 3 percent.
Lappin added that “We are filling the current funding gap but expect the Government to strengthen its capacity to embed effective delivery mechanisms and to mobilise additional resources to sustain HIV prevention activities by the time this programme ends.”
The DFID earlier provided US$31 million to the “Preventing HIV in Vietnam ” programme, which ran from 2003 to June this year.
The programme has helped to achieve some ground-breaking results including the introduction and rapid increase of access to free needles and syringes (from zero in 2004 to 15 million in 2008); distribution of 230 million condoms, the start of a methadone treatment programme; and a new law on HIV/AIDS that gives a clear legal basis for infection-reduction measures and removing the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS.