Vietnam - UN begins five-year plan for reproductive healthcare

Citation

(2006), "Vietnam - UN begins five-year plan for reproductive healthcare", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 19 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2006.06219fab.011

Vietnam - UN begins five-year plan for reproductive healthcare

VietnamUN begins five-year plan for reproductive healthcare

Keywords: Maternity care, Equality

The United Nations Population Fund will provide funding of US$28 million to implement the 2006-2010 Country Programme Action Plan signed with Vietnamese officials. The plan, focusing on reproductive health and population issues, was signed in Ha Noi by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Cao Viet Sinh and UN Population Fund-Viet Nam representative Ian Howie. The Action Plan is within the framework of the seventh country programme.

The programme gives priority to remote and ethnic minority areas and the disadvantaged, including people living with HIV/AIDS, the poor and women and children, and focuses on increasing gender equality, children’s healthcare, and maternal health. The national execution modalities, with a strong emphasis on decentralisation to local authorities, ensure control by the government and sustainability of interventions once the programme is completed.

Designed in particular to assist Viet Nam to implement national reproductive healthcare and population strategies, the plan of action aims to build the capacity of central ministries and seven selected provinces. The three provinces initially taking part in the programme are Ninh Thuan, Kon Tum and Ben Tre.

The national plan has two major parts – reproductive health, and population and development, in both of which gender-related issues are viewed as integral.

The reproductive health plan aims to improve the availability of quality reproductive health services and spur effective use of these services at the grassroots healthcare centres. Key interventions will be targeted at improved maternal and neonatal health and sexual and reproductive health, including prevention of sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy in vulnerable groups including youth, single parents, ethnic minorities and poor migrant workers.

The population and development plan will assist the government to formulate and implementing appropriate policies and guidelines on population, reproductive health and gender at national and grassroots levels.

The plan will help create a comprehensive database on population and reproductive health and promote the use of this data in the formulation of socio-economic development plans.

The 2006-2010 plan will be rolled out by implementing partners on a yearly basis and with close monitoring and evaluation of responsible government agencies and the UN Population Fund.

For more information, see: vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn