From January 14th to January 15th, Center for Training and Research on Substance abuse – HIV (CREATA-H) – Hanoi Medical University in collaboration with Center for Research for men and gender health (CARMAH) organized a “basic training course on Chemsex intervention” under the finanical support of US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The course provided the basic knowledge and skills of harm reductions for clients who used sexual stimulants (chemsex), including screening, short counseling and referral or intensive therapy (if needed) for health care workers anh outreach workers.
There were 41 representatives attending the training course from Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) – Ministry of Health, CDCs, CBOs of Long An province, Ba Ria Vung Tau province, Binh Duong province, Ho Chi Minh city, An Hao clinic and CARMAH.
Speaking at the training course, Ph.D. Nguyen Thi Minh Tam – Head of Harm Reduction Intervention Department of VAAC shared about the increasing in drug use in sexual relations among MSM/TG group that contributed to HIV epidemic in Vietnam. Dr. Tam also emphasized that the application of interventions among MSM/TG group using metamphetamine is extremely inportant.
Dr. Ramona Bhatia, on behalf of US CDC, shared the need for mainstreaming harm reduction interventions on Chemsex for the MSM/TG community.
Assoc. Prof. Le Minh Giang, Vice Director of CREATA- H talked about the substance use status in general and methamphetamine in particular in the MSM/TG community and urgent need acquire the knowledge and skills for health workers and CBOs in community to screen, intervene and refer clients to harm reductions services.
By the end of the course, participants obtained knowledge and proficient practice of the tools of screening, intervening and referring the clients. Participants are also committed to applying the knowledge that they have learned to perform those activities in the future.
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