Methadone on the Kenyan coast
The aim of this intervention is to provide methadone to reduce the harms associated with injecting heroin use: reducing HIV and Hepatitis C related mortality and morbidity, to increase adherence to medications such as anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and to improve the well-being of heroin users, by providing them with opportunities to re-enter society. Methadone is included in the World Health Organization’s list of ‘essential medicines’ and is promoted globally as a safe and evidence-based intervention for individuals for whom quitting is not an option.
The project, led by the Kenyan Government and backed by international funds, was to be implemented in four locations in 2014. Targets for the entire Coastal region are set ambitiously – some might say unrealistically – high. By the end of the first year, one thousand clients are expected to be enrolled, and by the end of the second year, 4000. In Mombasa, the project is yet to get off the ground. The coastal town of Malindi started on February 26th of this year. So far, 145 clients have enrolled in the programme.
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Thumbnail Image: CC Wikimedia Todd Huffman