Methadone replacement treatment therapy for drug users in mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa province is facing many difficulties, especially in the mountainous border districts.

Photo for illustration (Source: cand.com.vn)

Therefore, the province has decided to implement satellite methadone delivering facilities in Quan Hoa and Muong Lat districts.

According to the report of the Thanh Hoa provincial Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the province discovered nearly 6,940 people living with HIV at the end of September with over 50% of them relating to drugs.

Thanh Hoa now has 18 methadone treatment facilities and three methadone delivering facilities for more than 2,300 patients.

In December 2013, methadone treatment facilities in Quan Hoa and Muong Lat districts were established. After a year, the two facilities only had 75 drug users joining the treatment program and 20 of them didn’t finish the program.

According to a representative of the provincial Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the treatment facilities are located at the district health centers, but the overall length of the treatment program represents a considerable challenge for the patients and combined with the distance from their homes, many do not take advantage of the facilities offered

Accordingly, Quan Hoa and Muong Lat districts have taken methadone to residential areas with have a large number of drug users, and opened satellite treatment rooms. So far, Muong Lat district has two satellite methadone treatment rooms in Trung Ly and Muong Ly communes; Quan Hoa district has one room in Thanh Son commune.

The satellite rooms have brought positive results. According to the Quan Hoa district Health Center, only after three months of operation, the satellite room in the district has provided methadone for 92 drug users, exceeding 150% of the set target and the room hopes that the number of drug users joining the methadone replacement therapy will increase in the coming time./.

( Compiled by VNF )