OCTOBER 2006 — In Vietnam, it is estimated that each year 263,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 150,000 are diagnosed with cancer. International research shows that 60 to 80 percent of these people experience distressing symptoms, including pain, particularly in the last stages of life. But very little is known about palliative care needs in Vietnam.

While excellent small-scale palliative care services are offered by the National Cancer Institute, regional cancer hospitals, and a handful of NGOs for people living with HIV/AIDS, no service standards, strategies or national palliative care guidelines exist. There are also no policies or national guidelines on the use of opioids for pain control in hospital and community settings or standards for training providers in palliative care.

This rapid appraisal provides the foundation for developing national palliative care guidelines, education and training, and service expansion, which are paramount to ensuring that people living with HIV/AIDS and cancer do not suffer unnecessarily and are able to attain the highest quality of life possible.

Palliative care services will help the health care system of Vietnam reduce the pain and suffering experienced by people with life-limiting illness, and enhance the ability of people to tolerate and adhere to treatments such as antiretroviral therapy.