The US has helped Viet Nam set up a new HIV/AIDS programme at Hospital 87 in Nha Trang as part of its expanding support to the Vietnamese military medical system.

The programme, laun-ched on Wednesday, will provide safe blood products and voluntary counselling and testing services to both civilian and military populations from Khanh Hoa and neigh-bouring provinces.

It will receive technical and financial support from the US Department of Defence through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Rear Admiral Michael Anderson, Surgeon General in the US' Pacific Command; and Lieutenant General Chu Tien Cuong, director of the Military Medicine Department cut the ribbon to inaugurate a blood safety centre on Wednesday.

"PEPFAR currently supports five blood safety centres in the military medical system located throughout the country," Cuong said.

"Together we collect and produce tens of thousands of safe blood units."

Anderson highlighted the collaborative efforts between the Department of Defence and the Military Medical Department, saying: "Together we can feel gratified that we have made the Viet Nam military HIV/AIDS programme a model programme that other programmes in the Pacific area can emulate."

Since 2004, the US, through PEPFAR, has provided more than US$400 million for comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support programmes across Viet Nam, according to the US Embassy in Ha Noi. — VNS