|
|
|
Participants
to the workshop on Methadone Programme Progress
in Myanmar, Mandalay, December
2007
|
Preventing the transmission of HIV and reducing its impact
among injecting drug users is one of the priority strategies stated in the
HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan 2006 - 2010.
As part of this objective, the Ministry of Health started
the delivery of methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) for treatment of
injecting drug users in February 2006.
Initially 4 drug treatment centers (DTCs)
in Yangon, Mandalay, Lashio
(Shan State)
and Myitkyina (Kachin State) piloted MMT. These centers have
been followed by the opening of new dispensing sites Moegaung
and Bamaw townships (Kachin State)
and one additional dispensing site at the OPD service of the Thingangyun hospital in Yangon.
The Substance Abuse Prevention project of the Department
of Health with support from WHO and financial
assistance from the 3 Diseases Fund organized a two day workshop in December
2007 to discuss on the progress observed by the MMT programme
since its opening early in 2006. Participants included clinicians and
Department of Health officials, patients, representatives from the Ministry
of Home Affairs, the UN and NGO sectors.
The agenda included the presentation of the preliminary
results of a survey recently conducted among patients enrolled in the programme in all the MMT sites which provided detailed
information about the socio-demographic characteristics, drug misuse history
and injection related HIV risk behavior, treatment history and initial
outcomes and impact of the MMT programme among the
beneficiaries. Based on the results of the survey, a total of 490 patients
have been enrolled in the programme since its
inception. Among them 69% are still on treatment. Most importantly, the
survey provided initial strong evidence of the positive impact the MMT programme is having in reducing heroin use patterns,
injected related HIV risk behavior and improvements in health and quality of
life among patients.
Before starting treatment all patients were injecting
heroin, most of them (74%) 3 to 5 times per day during a period of time of 3
to 4 years (22%) or over 5 years or more (62%). Additionally, at least a
quarter of patients referred having shared injecting equipment with other
injectors prior starting MMT. After started methadone therapy, only 17%
report having injected again and the vast majority (92%) has done it only
occasionally. None of those who
injected again reported having shared injection equipment with others. This
represents a substantial and significant reduction of opioid
use and the potential risk of HIV transmission.
Additionally, 86% of patients report improvement or much
improvement in their health; 94% reporting having a better or much better
relationship with their families and 92% report a better or much better
quality of life since starting MMT.
During the workshop managers of Drug Treatment Centers
delivering MMT as well as representatives from NGOs and from the patients had
the opportunity to share their local experiences in implementing or participating
to the programme, including the successes as well
as the challenges faced.
All participants agreed in the positive outcomes and
impact the MMT is having in their communities.
The main challenge now for the programme
is to scale up and to reach greater coverage for a greater number of
beneficiaries and thus have a meaningful impact not only in improving the
life of injecting drug users but also in reducing significantly the
transmission of HIV among this population.
|
))
