Results of the project on the "Introduction of OST for HIV prevention in Kazakhstan»

The "Aman-Saulik" Public Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republican Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, and the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Addiction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the support of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, and the Good Governance Initiative Project Initiative, has released the results of the implementation of the project on the "Introduction of OST for HIV prevention in Kazakhstan."

Public hearings on supportive treatment for drug users in order to prevent HIV and AIDS and reduce the level of drug addiction among people who have not been included in the pilot project for the introduction of OST (Almaty, Aktau, Atyrau, Shymkent) were held in 4 regions of Kazakhstan, who use injection drugs in the Republic of Kazakhstan; and for the period from February to June 2016. A competition was announced among journalists who took part in the public hearings for the best and reliable coverage of the topic of opioid substitution therapy (OST).

Drug use and the increase in the spread of HIV infection are a serious problem of public health in the Republic of Kazakhstan. People who inject drugs (LUIN) and their sexual partners are vulnerable to vulnerable groups of people who are HIV-infected. According to estimates, the number of LUIN is more than 127,000, while 18,906 are officially registered. In Kazakhstan, the increase in sexual transmission of HIV is gaining momentum, which has risen from 5% to 60% in recent years. The most common victims are women who have contracted from the partners of LUIN. To treat addiction in Kazakhstan, as in the whole world, different approaches and methods are used, including innovative ones, such as opioid substitution therapy (OST) with methadone - a method of harm reduction. OST has been used in the world since the late 1960s. This method of treatment is well studied and its effectiveness has long been proven by numerous studies. OST allows the user to:

reduce or stop the use of illegal drugs, which leads to a decrease in the level of crime and criminal activity among LUIN;
reduce the risk of overdose, and hence the mortality rate;
improve the quality of life and health of those who take substitution therapy; and
improve adherence to treatment for diseases requiring long-term treatment (HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis).

In addition, the economic effectiveness of OST is also proved in comparison with traditional inpatient drug treatment.

Today, supporting substitution therapy in Kazakhstan is based on the following basic principles: control, legality, scientific validity, stimulation of the patient to abandon surfactants, the involvement of family members in providing PZT, confidentiality, inclusion in socially-oriented programs.

"The harm reduction approach does not detract from the importance of trying to help a person completely abandon drugs, but admits and recognizes that for many drug users the achievement of this goal can take a very long time, at which the risk of transmission of viruses, especially HIV and hepatitis, is very high, as well as the development of other diseases," says Bakhyt Tumenova, President of the Aman-Saulik Foundation.

Since 2008, in Kazakhstan, the United Nations OST delivery project in several regions has been launched as a pilot. Today he works in 10 cities where methadone sites are open. In total, the program covers 295 drug addicts. In the Republic of Kazakhstan this year, the pilot project for providing OST is coming to an end. Today, the task is to scale this project across the country.

Since 2016-2017 years. it is planned to ensure the functioning of substitution maintenance therapy at the expense of local budgets. According to the Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development No. 05-1-30 / 3668-I of June 6, 2016, the points of providing substitution maintenance therapy (PZT) are included in the structure of drug treatment organizations.