Struggles of drug users in the Serbian healthcare system

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Struggles of drug users in the Serbian healthcare system

24 May 2013

Back in the seventies, when diacetylmorphine, known as heroin, first shyly entered the Belgrade underground scene, it was a choice of drug reserved for an "elite" circle of famous musicians, artists, actors, and the children of politicians.

Along with the increased availability of heroin, user profiles have changed too: From being a drug used by the intellectual elite, heroin's status changed, and it became a substance penetrating into the lives of those on the margins of mainstream society.

There is evidence for this, in data from an internal survey conducted in the first, and so far only, needle exchange program in Belgrade. According to the survey, half of all the program beneficiaries are positive for hepatitis C, while among those who are ethnic Roma, virus penetration has reached as high as 90 % . In addition, about 30-35 % of users are illiterate, 75 % unemployed, over 20 % of clients are engaged in commercial sex work and 80 % have a criminal record. More than 35 % of beneficiaries have no valid documents, and therefore no access to health insurance.

Read here the full article.

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