Ho Chi Minh City’s Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department onDecember 26 launched a Methadone-used addiction treatment programme.
Around 200 people who are addicted to various types ofaddictive substances will benefit from the programme, which isundertaken by the drug detoxification and counseling centre run by thedepartment.
According to the municipal AIDSPrevention and Control Committee, the pilot application of Methadonetherapy has brought concrete outcomes in reducing HIV transmission.
As many as 1,334 people are taking the treatment, showing positive changes psychologically and physically.
Vietnam will apply methadone therapy in 80,000 drug users in 30 citiesand provinces nationwide by 2015 following the efficacy of themedication as well as its socio-economic benefits confirmed in its pilotprogrammes.
Five years since the therapy waslaunched, the nation now has 61 methadone clinics in 20 cities andprovinces, treating around 14,000 drug users with no fatality due toexcessive medication and unexpected side effects recorded.
After a 24-month treatment course, the percentage of patients, who areat high risk of depression, slid to 15 percent from 80 percent while amere 1.3 percent commit to legal violations, reported the HIV/AIDSPrevention and Control Department of the Ministry of Health.
A heath ministry-conducted survey on over 1,000 patients in clinicsacross Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, which have piloted the treatmentsince April, 2008, found 96 percent of them continue with the medicationafter the recommended treating course finishes while only 15.87 percentrelapse into bad habits. Up to 75.9 percent of them now get employed.
The medication has also saved over 1 trillionVND (47.6 million USD) per year for 13,000 addicts in 11 cities andprovinces as a drug user used to spend 230,000 VND (10.1 USD) on heroin,meaning nearly 84 million VND (4,000 USD) a year.-VNA
Around 200 people who are addicted to various types ofaddictive substances will benefit from the programme, which isundertaken by the drug detoxification and counseling centre run by thedepartment.
According to the municipal AIDSPrevention and Control Committee, the pilot application of Methadonetherapy has brought concrete outcomes in reducing HIV transmission.
As many as 1,334 people are taking the treatment, showing positive changes psychologically and physically.
Vietnam will apply methadone therapy in 80,000 drug users in 30 citiesand provinces nationwide by 2015 following the efficacy of themedication as well as its socio-economic benefits confirmed in its pilotprogrammes.
Five years since the therapy waslaunched, the nation now has 61 methadone clinics in 20 cities andprovinces, treating around 14,000 drug users with no fatality due toexcessive medication and unexpected side effects recorded.
After a 24-month treatment course, the percentage of patients, who areat high risk of depression, slid to 15 percent from 80 percent while amere 1.3 percent commit to legal violations, reported the HIV/AIDSPrevention and Control Department of the Ministry of Health.
A heath ministry-conducted survey on over 1,000 patients in clinicsacross Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, which have piloted the treatmentsince April, 2008, found 96 percent of them continue with the medicationafter the recommended treating course finishes while only 15.87 percentrelapse into bad habits. Up to 75.9 percent of them now get employed.
The medication has also saved over 1 trillionVND (47.6 million USD) per year for 13,000 addicts in 11 cities andprovinces as a drug user used to spend 230,000 VND (10.1 USD) on heroin,meaning nearly 84 million VND (4,000 USD) a year.-VNA
