The United Nations in Viet Nam hosted a group of eight international journalists. The reporters, who came from a variety of countries and major media outlets, had been selected to participate in a press fellowship led by the United Nations Foundation. The goal of the week-long fellowship was to give them an opportunity to see first-hand the health challenges and successes in Viet Nam, with a particular focus on child health and immunization.
The journalists were given a wide-ranging look at Viet Nam’s health system, from the national level all the way down to the commune level. WHO Viet Nam and the United Nations Health Joint Partnership Group facilitated briefings with the Minister of Health and visits to several sites such as the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the POLYVAC vaccine manufacturing facility in the capital city of Hanoi. To provide journalists with an insight on the disparities between rural and urban areas, the journalists also visited health facilities in Dien Bien province, one of the poorest parts of the country.
In Dien Bien, journalists visited Muong Dang Commune Health Centre and interacted with People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). The delegation also learned more about the government response, the current funding gap and a number of innovative WHO and UNAIDS supported programmes such as Treatment 2.0 (integrating HIV services into primary care settings), immediate HIV treatment for serodiscordant couples. A visit to the Sunflower Group, a support group for women living with HIV, provided journalists with the opportunity to interact with women whose live has been transformed with the help of the support group. Some journalists also met with a group of men who previously injected drugs and are now receiving methadone maintenance therapy.
Patrick Adams, a freelance journalist, said: “It was encouraging to learn that the government is targeting hidden communities and particularly injection drug users, who face even more stigma than PLHIV, with new interventions. Another thing I found interesting was the new funding situation Vietnam faces, and how the health system has to cut costs, increase revenue, and operate more efficiently as donors withdraw. Hence the importance of (childhood) immunization and ARVs, as investments that safeguard population health, prevent the spread of diseases, and alleviate pressure on already overburdened facilities.
Acting WHO Representative to Viet Nam Mr Jeffery Kobza: “The visit of international journalists gave us an opportunity to show the work of WHO in Viet Nam in the area of immunization and HIV. Viet Nam has made impressive progress in both areas and the work of the journalists helps us to amplify our key messages far beyond Viet Nam”.
The UN Foundation is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems. With the support of the Gates Foundation, it organizes Press Fellowships to developing countries for journalists who do not have regular access to key experts, but are interested in global health, international development, and the United Nations.