Hanoi inaugurated its first drug rehabilitation centre using methadone. The city will have five more methadone centres in the near future.
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A patient was examined at the drug rehabilitation centre in Tu Liem District, Hanoi. |
This centre is based in Tu Liem District. Hanoi is the third city in Vietnam to have drug rehabilitation centre using methadone, besides Hai Phong and HCM City.
Over 1,600 people have participated in a trial programme to rehabilitate drug addicts using methadone in Hai Phong and HCM City. After six months of treatment, there was no more cases HIV transmission. Most of the patients gained weight of 2-4kg after three months. One third even got jobs.
Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu said that there are some difficulties with this programme. For example, the number of drug addicts who want to participate in this programme is very high while methadone centres are limited.
In addition, it is difficult to recruit staff for these rehabilitation centres because they have to work from Monday through Sunday and the fact that patients are drug addicts scares off some of them.
Trieu said that the Health Ministry had submitted to the government a plan to expand this programme. The Ministry expects to have around 80,000 people treated by methadone by 2015, covering 65 percent of drug addicts in 30 provinces and cities.
Hanoi will have five more methadone centres in Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Long Bien, Son Tay and Ha Dong districts.
Methadone is used to gradually replace heroin, a method known familiarly as “habit cures habit”.
Methadone is taken orally so it helps reduce the risk of HIV infection and diseases that are transmitted via the blood. This medicine is not only less addictive than heroin, its users also don’t have to increase the dosage (taken once a day). However, methadone is ineffective for addictions to other drugs.
Methadone has been used in the US since 1965. Since then, it has been used in nearly 70 countries worldwide.
In 2005, around 585,000 people in Europe were rehabilitated with methadone. In Asia, China takes the lead in using this rehabilitation method, with 503 centres in 23 provinces, attracting over 60,000 addicts. Thailand implemented this method in the 1980s.
PV
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