M For M shop located in HCM City’s Tan Phu District, one of the first six shops with health services for HIV prevention and treatment, is being piloted under the community one-stop-shop model called DOME officially launched on September 8. (Photo courtesy of LIFE) The model is an initiative of the Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life(LIFE) and community-based organisations (CBOs), with its motto of puttingcustomers at the centre and a mission of improving the quality of communityhealth.
Its first six shops are located in densely populated areas to create moreconvenience for customers to easily access health services they need.
Six pillars of the model include outreach, counselling, screening, testing,referral and support.
Through a cooperation network with public health centres and leading healthexperts, DOME offers health counselling and services such as sexual andreproductive health, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, mental healthand support for drug addicts to have treatment, among others.
It features three communications channels - online, offline and mobile - toserve customers anytime and anywhere.
Nguyen Thi Lan from LIFE said DOME was an upgraded and more advanced model ofthe existing CBOs.
“With diversified and essential services, DOME not only serves vulnerable andhigh-risk groups, including men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women,drug users and prostitutes, but also others in the community,” she said.
LIFE is committed to accompanying and supporting DOMEs to improve the qualityof human resources, develop business plans, and build their brands.
According to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), the strongparticipation of CBOs in offering HIV tests for early detection has helpedreduce the burden on public health stations.
There is an increasing number of people using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medicines thanks to CBOs.
With diversified types and forms of services, DOME is expected to contribute tothe national HIV/AIDS prevention programme in a more sustainable way.
The model will help increase access to target groups, increase the number ofpeople at high risk of HIV infection receiving tests, and promptly provideanti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV-positive people.
Supported by LIFE, more than 40 CBOs provide counselling and tests for nearly40,000 people at risk of HIV, and support 10,000 people accessing the PrEPprogramme each year.
Of that figure, there were about 4,000 HIV-positive cases detected, and about98% of them received treatment.
LIFE's HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programme is funded by the USPresident's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United StateAgency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Fund to fightAIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through the Union of Science and TechnologyAssociations (VUSTA)./.
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