10 drug addiction substitution therapy offices operate in Belarus

August 10, Minsk /BELTA/. Belarus already operates 10 substitution therapy offices for drug addiction, and by the end of the current year, their number will reach 13. This was reported to BELTA correspondent by Maria Malinovskaya, Public Relations Specialist of the Grant Management Group of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GF) in Belarus.

The tenth office opened in August in Polotsk; Bobruisk, Borisov, and Slutsk will also be included in the substitution therapy network in the republic.

A total of about 650 patients are currently participating in the drug addiction substitution therapy program. The drug treatment clinics where substitution therapy is applied have been renovated and equipped with necessary equipment and alarm systems using GF funds.

The new office operates on the basis of the Polotsk Regional Psychiatric Hospital, and five initial patients have been included in the substitution therapy program. Notably, two patients moved to Belarus from abroad and were glad for the opportunity to continue the substitution therapy program in our country.

The experience of implementing the substitution therapy program in Belarus indicates an improvement in patients' quality of life: over 100 program participants have found new jobs, are socialized, and many have improved family relationships. Substitution therapy also protects against the risk of HIV infection through injection.

The drug addiction substitution treatment program is one of the leading areas for implementing GF grants. The grants are executed in Belarus by the United Nations Development Programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and provide a unique opportunity to introduce best practices in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the country.

Maria Malinovskaya emphasized that the implementation of the substitution therapy program in Belarus has been highly praised by experts from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Belarusian narcologists widely use the Lithuanian and Swedish experience in drug addiction substitution treatment in their work.-0-