Government to Government Collaboration Beginning Transition to Next Phase of PEPFAR

Michelle McConnell, CDC Vietnam Country Director giving opening remarks.

On September 6, 2013 in Hanoi, CDC launched another five years of collaboration with the Vietnam Ministry of Health – Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, with funding from PEPFAR. Vice Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, CDC and VAAC program staff, and provincial leaders discussed the achievements and lessons learned over the past five years and outlined strategic goals for the next phase of collaboration to further reduce HIV/AIDS infections, provide care and support for people living with HIV, and build capacity of the national health system to function with fewer donor resources.

“The last 5 years of the VAAC-CDC collaboration has achieved remarkable results and contributed significantly to the control of HIV/AIDS and the successful implementation of the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam,” said Vice Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

Dr. Michelle McConnell, CDC Country Director (photo), emphasized capacity building as a critical part of the strategy to ensure sustainability. “We have had 14 years of a very successful partnership and today marks the beginning of a new phase of that partnership. We – CDC, VAAC, and very importantly, the provincial leadership – must work together to build capacity and plan for sustainability.”