Governance and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Vietnam

Governance and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Vietnam
Author: Alfred John Montoya
Publisher:
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

This dissertation concerns HIV/AIDS prevention and control in contemporary Vietnam, as an assemblage of Vietnamese Socialist governance, international NGO and US government mechanisms, and new biomedical regimes based on expert knowledges and international "best practices." It maps the emergence of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, the rise of the complex of state practices, spaces and discourses created to deal with it, the unfortunate entanglement of this apparatus with that set against "social evils," and the rendering of HIV/AIDS a biological marker of socio-moral contagion. It examines the deadly consequences of this entanglement, the authorities' subsequent attempts at disentanglement following shifting epidemiological, political and economic conditions and Vietnam's internationally acclaimed success against SARS. It marks the new forms of exclusions and inequalities in health this generated. Broadly, I argue there was a shift from an emphasis on "The People" to one on "The Human" as the object at the center of this HIV/AIDS prevention and control apparatus, along with a shift from external enforcement (by authorities) to internal adherence (by oneself, to techno-scientific and expert discourses and practices). With the shift from enforcement (a present and past-oriented mode) to adherence (a mode that moves from the present forward), the near future has now become a target of and problem for government. As new and massively increased resources for HIV/AIDS prevention and control become available new contests over jurisdiction and precedence are breaking out between sectors of this apparatus dedicated to public security and health and human services, as well as central and local health authorities. Under these conditions new life-saving and harm-reduction programs effected and protected through and under interpersonal and political arrangements often classified in the foreign and domestic press as "corruption" are forcing reexamination of the ethical status of these practices. I argue that following my informants' stress on the "uses" of corruption, rather than their naming, a more nuanced portrait of contemporary power relations and constraints emerges, one that sheds light on the transformation, in these milieu, of the emerging ethical terrain of HIV/AIDS prevention and control in Vietnam. Third, I examine PEPFAR (US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), investigating the friction at the meeting points between a pair of incongruous bureaucracies, their effect on local financial, facility and human resource management, and the promotion of a certain regime of accounting and audit practices. These new technologies represent a curious marriage of neoliberal rationalities and humanitarian ethics that operate by refiguring political problems in other domains as non-ideological and non-political health problems, within the framework of what I term an "ethics of an economy of virtue." Here I track the penetration of neoliberal logics and calculations into the domain of humanitarian intervention. Truth games effected through the deployment of statistics, images, anecdotes and narratives collapse a broad range of meanings upon the subjected bodies of the ill, bodies and stories meant to stand in not only for those innumerable "others like them," but the exchangeable, comparable virtue of the deployer. The final chapter is a fleshing out of the framework I present in the preceding chapters, using the parallel stories of two exemplary figures; a famous and controversial Saigon social worker, and a relatively unknown young woman, a homeless heroin addict and "graduate" of the Vietnamese carceral regime. These stories highlight the benefits, constraints and vulnerabilities actors working on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam within an economy of virtue face, as well as enable us to trace certain turning points in their lives against the background of the minor history of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam that I have set out.

Governance of HIV/AIDS

Governance of HIV/AIDS
Author: Sophie Harman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2009-07-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1134012012

Examines the different forms of governance of HIV/AIDS that have emerged and how these actors and structures of governance enhance, or limit, participation and accountability, as well as the impact this is having upon effective global responses to the epidemic.

The Global Governance of HIV/AIDS

The Global Governance of HIV/AIDS
Author: O. Aginam
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2013-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1849804923

ÔHIV/AIDS remains a major global health problem, despite the progress made in its prevention and treatment. Addressing this problem is not only a matter of more and better drugs, they need to be widely accessible and be affordable to the poor. This book makes, with a much welcomed interdisciplinary approach, an excellent contribution to understanding how the intellectual property regime can influence health policies and the lives of millions of people affected by the disease. The analysis provided by the various authors that contributed to this book will be of relevance not only to those working in the area of HIV/AIDS, but to those more broadly interested in public health governance and the role of intellectual property rights.Õ Ð Carlos Correa, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina ÔThis is an important, innovative and, at times, controversial collection. Inter-disciplinary in approach, this collection will have appeal to those concerned with the global injustice in the context of HIV/AIDS. Investigating the legal, political and economic determinants of access to essential medicines, this is thought provoking collection which will resonate with many in both the academic and public policy community.Õ Ð Bryan Mercurio, The Chinese University of Hong Kong This important book brings together leading scholars from multiple disciplines, including intellectual property, human rights, public health, and development studies, as well as activists to critically reflect on the global health governance regime. The Global Governance of HIV/AIDS explores the implications of high international intellectual property standards for access to essential medicines in developing countries. With a focus on HIV/AIDS governance, the volume provides a timely analysis of the international legal and political landscape, the relationship between human rights and intellectual property, and emerging issues in global health policy. It concludes with concrete strategies on how to improve access to HIV/AIDS medicines. This interdisciplinary, global, and up-to-date book will strongly appeal to academics in law, international relations, health policy and public policy, as well as students, policymakers and activists.

Fighting a Rising Tide;The Response to AIDS in East Asia

Fighting a Rising Tide;The Response to AIDS in East Asia
Author: 山本正
Publisher:
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2006-03
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

A Japan Center for International Exchange and Friends of the Global Fund Japan publication This book examines government, civil society, corporate, and media responses to the rising tide of HIV/AIDS infection in the region. Countries such as Australia had early, concentrated epidemics. Others, like China, are experiencing rapidly growing epidemics. Thailand has seen high but declining prevalence rates while Vietnam is seeing exponential growth in rates among specific populations, particularly intravenous drug users. Meanwhile, Japan and others still have low prevalence rates, but need to remain vigilant and active if they are to avoid an epidemic. The varied responses by each society to the rising threat offer critical and practical lessons. Equally important is the increasing recognition that many problems contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS are cross-border issues that must be addressed collaboratively. This volume provides detailed analyses by experts in the field who offer insight into the efforts occurring in their own societies to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Contributors include William Bowtell (Lowy Institute for International Policy, Australia), Chanto Doung Sisowath (Pannasastra University of Cambodia), Zunyou Wu (National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, China), Nafsiah Mboi (Indonesian National AIDS Commission), Karen Houston Smith (Family Health International, Indonesia), Satoko Itoh (Japan Center for International Exchange), Surin Shin (Korean Alliance to Defeat AIDS), Chanthone Khamsibounheuang (Lao National AIDS Center), Rozaidah Talib (Parliament of Malaysia), Eugenio M. Caccam Jr. (Philippine Business for Social Progress), Steve Hsu-Sung Kuo, Su-Fen Tsai, Huang Yen-Fang, and Wiput Phoolcharoen (Taiwan Center for Disease Control), and Pham Sanh Chau (Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Issue Without Boundaries

Issue Without Boundaries
Author: Kristina Jönsson
Publisher: Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies Lund University
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2006
Genre: AIDS (Disease)
ISBN:

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 6)

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 6)
Author: King K. Holmes
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 1027
Release: 2017-11-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1464805253

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death globally, particularly among children and young adults. The spread of new pathogens and the threat of antimicrobial resistance pose particular challenges in combating these diseases. Major Infectious Diseases identifies feasible, cost-effective packages of interventions and strategies across delivery platforms to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and neglected tropical diseases. The volume emphasizes the need to effectively address emerging antimicrobial resistance, strengthen health systems, and increase access to care. The attainable goals are to reduce incidence, develop innovative approaches, and optimize existing tools in resource-constrained settings.

Does Governance Matter in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS Epidemic? Evidence from Cross-Country Analysis

Does Governance Matter in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS Epidemic? Evidence from Cross-Country Analysis
Author: Leandre Bassole
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

In this paper I attempt to investigate the role of governance - as measured by government effectiveness, control of corruption, and rule of law - on the HIV prevalence. Thus, the paper argues that countries whose governments are highly ranked according to these various induces of the quality of institutions tend to do better in reducing HIV prevalence. In an empirical analysis of cross-section data of 90 countries, I find that different aspects of the quality of institutions from a country (corruption, law, government effectiveness) are always significant regardless of the other control variables that are used in the least square, quantile, and instrumental estimation. These effects are more important in sub-Saharan Africa which is the epicenter of the epidemic. The paper highlights the importance of good governance for the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS programs in the fight against the epidemic.