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City Report and Action Plan
Danang
Dr. Kim Anh Thi Doan Vo
Vice Director, Department of Health
Danang People's Committee
Vietnum
CITY REPORT
Danang is located in central Vietnam and has
a population of 800,000. The city serves as a social and economic
center of the region and is home to an international airport and
seaport. Its economy is roughly divided into 55% tourism and trade, 35%
agriculture and 10% fisheries. The 0-15 age group accounts for over 30%
of the population, while those over 60 years are just around 8%. School
enrolment among adolescents is 87%, and over 30% of the population has
graduated from high school. Average per capita annual income is
estimated at US$500.
Reproductive Health
The city health network is under the
jurisdiction of the city party secretariat and the city people's
committee. It is also directly managed by the provincial department of
health, which advises the city party committee on carrying out state
health policy and provides leadership on expertise, professional
skills, human resource management and budgeting. Hospitals in the city
fall under various jurisdictions: national (7.4%), city (41.4%),
district (21%), commune (10.7%), ministries and military (12.1%) and
private (7.3%).
Measures to promote reproductive health
encompass family planning, safe motherhood, safe abortion and
prevention and treatment of STDs including HIV/AIDS. Current objectives
include increasing community-wide participation, increasing health
staff and their capacity, procurement of new equipment and more
funding, formulation of policies to encourage small families, and
ongoing research and training.
Specifically relating to adolescent
reproductive health, the city is promoting the following activities:
(1) extracurricular activities in schools, (2) incorporation of
reproductive health issues in school curriculums, i.e., in biology,
geography and civil education, (3) training of health providers and
related people and (4) development and distribution of information,
education and communication materials.
Challenges to increase awareness and
understanding of reproductive health among adolescents are (1)
establishment of an environment that enables effective policy
implementation, (2) mobilization of community participation, (3)
empowerment of youths, (4) coordination and cooperation between health
and non-health sectors and (5) human and financial resources.
The UNFPA-funded project "Improvement of the
Quality and Utilization of Reproductive Health Services in Danang City"
is paying special attention to improving the capacity of reproductive
health service providers through training on safe motherhood, diagnoses
and treatment of STDs and HIV/AIDS and counseling. The project also
aims to improve accessibility of reproductive health information and
services.
The Save the Children-funded Reproductive
Health Care Project focuses on training for the provision of
reproductive health counseling to youths.
HIV/AIDS
The first case of HIV/AIDS was confirmed in
1993 and there have been 636 cases of HIV and 250 cases of AIDS
(including 214 deaths) as of mid-2005. Approximately 100 new cases are
now occurring annually. Although over 98% of youths claim they have
heard about HIV/AIDS, many do not know the modes of transmission nor
how to prevent it. The above-mentioned programs, in addition to raising
awareness of HIV/AIDS and the capacity of health workers, are also
helping to reduce the stigma attached to the disease and people living
with it.
ACTION PLAN
Objectives
Long-term objectives:
To improve the quality of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services to
adolescents.
Short-term objectives:
- To improve the access to adolescent reproductive
health services and HIV/AIDS prevention projects.
- To change behaviors and attitudes of the service
providers.
- To improve the quality of service tools and equipment.
Target group
Youth aged 10 to 19, a population of 16,000.
Also, health workers and health collaborators, a population of 330.
Constraints
Limited budgets, limited accessibility to
adolescent reproductive health services, cultural and religious aspects.
Executive agency
City People's Committee.
Implementing agency
Department of Health.
Activities - Timeline
- Present information from this workshop to city
leaders. July 2005.
- Organize training courses for health workers on
behavior and communication changes, and on technical skills for
adolescent health care and HIV/AIDS. Sept.-Dec. 2005. Organize training
course for health collaborators on communication skills and behavior
changes. Jan.-Mar. 2006.
- Establish youth counseling programs (face to face,
hotline, community talks). Aug. 2005-Jan.-Mar. 2006.
- Obtain essential medical equipment. Jan.-Mar. 2006.
- Mobilize mass media to promote adolescent
reproductive healthcare and HIV/AIDS services. Jul.-Aug. 2005.
- Coordinate with related departments, agencies and
organizations. Oct.-Dec. 2005.
- Monitor and evaluate programs. Oct.-Dec. 2005.
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