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The relationship between health policy and public health interventions: a case study of the DRIVE project to “end” the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam

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Abstract

We present a case study of the effects of health policies on the implementation and potential outcomes of a public health intervention, using the DRIVE project, that aims to ‘end’ the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam. DRIVE’s success depends on two policy transitions: (1) integration of donor-funded HIV outpatient clinics into public health clinics and expansion of social health insurance; (2) implementation of a “Renovation Plan” for substance use treatment. Interviews and focus group discussions with key informants and review of policy documents and clinic data reveal that both policy transitions are underway but face challenges. DRIVE promises to show how evolving policy affects health interventions and how advocacy based on project data can improve policy. Broad lessons include the importance of clear and consistent policies, vigorous enforcement, and adequate funding of promulgated policies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contributions of the entire international DRIVE project team and the funding support of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, US National Institutes of Health, Grant # RO1 DA041978, and France Recherche nord & sud sida-hiv Hepatites, Agence Autonome de l’Inserm (ANRS), Grant # 12353.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abt Associates, Health Finance and Governance Project, 273 Kim Ma, Toserco Building, 4th Floor, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Theodore M. Hammett & Nguyen Thi Huong

  2. Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Nguyen Thu Trang & Le Minh Giang

  3. Centre for Supporting Community Development Initiatives, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Khuat Thi Hai Oanh

  4. Haiphong University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Haiphong, Vietnam

    Duong Thi Huong

  5. Inserm U1058, Etablissement Français du Sang, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Nicolas Nagot

  6. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Don C. Des Jarlais

Authors
  1. Theodore M. Hammett
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  2. Nguyen Thu Trang
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  3. Khuat Thi Hai Oanh
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  4. Nguyen Thi Huong
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  5. Le Minh Giang
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  6. Duong Thi Huong
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  7. Nicolas Nagot
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  8. Don C. Des Jarlais
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Correspondence to Theodore M. Hammett.

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Hammett, T.M., Trang, N.T., Oanh, K.T.H. et al. The relationship between health policy and public health interventions: a case study of the DRIVE project to “end” the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam. J Public Health Pol 39, 217–230 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-017-0115-7

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