US CDC and Vietnam Improve Quality of Care for People Living with HIV in Vietnam

Since 2010, PEPFAR has partnered with the Government of Vietnam, Vietnamese partners, and other international stakeholders to improve the quality of care for people living with HIV/AIDS. “The initiative, known as HIVQUAL, establishes a performance data system to measure the quality of care and ensures HIV/AIDS clinics provide quality treatment services in accordance to national guidelines, thereby increasing early access to treatment and reducing HIV/AIDS-related deaths,” said Dr. Bui Duc Duong, Deputy Director-General of the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) at the HIVQUAL Workshop held on December 9, 2013 in Hanoi.

The HIVQUAL project was piloted in 11 HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics last year in five provinces and has since expanded to 68 outpatient clinics in 13 provinces. Over the next year, the program will continue to be expanded to 20 more outpatient clinics, including those for children. Improvements to patient referrals between outpatient clinics and TB/HIV and prevention of mother-to-child services will begin in 2014.

Supporting VAAC’s efforts to bring quality improvement/quality management programs to all HIV facilities is a priority for the PEPFAR program. In her opening remarks at the December workshop, CDC-Vietnam Country Director Dr. Michelle McConnell noted, “As a result of this program, we’ve already seen dramatic improvements in performance in participating outpatient clinics. And perhaps even more important and noteworthy is the adoption of these principles and practices by the clinic staff and national and local leadership.”

The program is supported by VAAC, the Hanoi School of Public Health, Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute, 13 provincial AIDS centers, FHI 360, Harvard Medical School AIDS Initiative in Vietnam, the Global Fund, and the World Health Organization.