Ha Giang moves to reduce HIV/AIDS infection
The northern mountainous
province of Ha Giang has recently approved the implementation of a plan
on methadone treatment until 2020, with the aim to provide therapy for
70-80 percent of local drug users.
Accordingly, the
province will build and improve the infrastructure of three
rehabilitation centres in Ha Giang city and Bac Quang and Meo Vac
districts, as well as medicine distribution centres in Vi Xuyen and Bac
Me districts.
During the 2013-2015 period, it will focus on
building and upgrading a methadone treatment clinic at the provincial
centre for HIV/AIDS prevention and control.
Vietnam piloted
its first detoxification model using methadone in 2008, with 15 clinics
in six cities and provinces nationwide.
The methadone
treatment programme will be expanded in Vietnam, heading to 245 clinics
in 30 provinces and cities providing treatment for 80,000 drug users by
2015.
Methadone maintenance treatment is a comprehensive
treatment programme that involves the long-term prescribing of methadone
as an alternative to the opioid on which drug users were dependent.
Central to the treatment is the provision of counselling, case
management and other medical and psychosocial services.-VNA