In 2 days from February 7 to 8, 2023, the delegation from the Department of Health Care and Rehabilitation, Department of Food and Drugs – Ministry of Health, Department of Drug Control and Supervision – Ministry of Public Security, the Government Office, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic visited Hanoi, Vietnam to exchange experiences on implementing opioid replacement therapy programs with support from representatives from the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Hanoi, and the Vietnam-International Technology Transfer Center (V-ITTC) – Hanoi Medical University.
On the first day of the visit, the Lao delegation visited the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) centers in Nam Tu Liem and Hai Ba Trung districts and exchanged some practical experiences, including advantages and challenges, when implementing MMT programs in Laos with doctors and medical staff of the two centers. In the morning, visiting the MMT center in Nam Tu Liem district, the Lao delegation had the opportunity to observe a typical working day of medical staff from all divisions of the center including those who dispensed methadone to patients, stored methadone, provided patient care and addiction treatment counseling, and consulted those who have comorbidities with substance use disorders.
On the second day of the visit, the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control – Ministry of Health welcomed the Lao delegation and discussed the HIV/AIDS epidemic situation of the two countries, the overview of the HIV/AIDS prevention and control programs in Vietnam, and several notable HIV prevention and harm reduction interventions being implemented in Vietnam. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Drug Administration, the Legal Department – the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, the Department of Social Evils Prevention – the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the V-ITTC – Hanoi Medical University, which played the role as the central technical support unit.
At the end of the visit to Vietnam, the Lao delegation gained more experience on the operation of an MMT program to launch the pilot MMT program for patients with opioid use disorders in Huoaphanh province, Laos. In the near future, a team of specialists from V-ITTC – Hanoi Medical University will continue to provide technical support and coordinate with the Laos team to organize training courses for healthcare workers in Huoaphanh province in order to implement the pilot program efficiently.
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