Final review of the national pilot project on multi-day methadone dispensing for patients in opioid substitution therapy

On the morning of December 15, 2022, the Ministry of Health held a conference to review the national pilot project on multi-day methadone dispensing for patients in opioid substitution therapy. The conference was joined by more than 150 representatives from the departments and institutes under the Ministry of Health, units under the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Government Office, international and community organizations, and the Health, Public Security branch, the Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs sectors of the 6 provinces and cities in which the pilot project was implemented including Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Hai Phong, Bac Giang, Lao Cao, and Nghe An.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong shared that after being implemented for 14 years, the methadone treatment program has been shown to have the following advantages: improving patients’ physical and mental health, reducing HIV infection and bloodborne diseases, improving local security and social order, bringing financial benefits for patients and their families and community, and reducing the societal revenue to support for medically and socially vulnerable populations, etc.

At the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Minh Giang – Research team leader of Hanoi Medical University presented a report on the evaluation results of the pilot project of multi-day methadone dispensing in 3 provinces of Dien Bien, Lai Chau, and Hai Phong, and proposed some of the recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the methadone maintenance treatment program and the number of patients benefiting from it. Throughout the implementation of the pilot project, the research team from Hanoi Medical University provided technical support and coordinated with other departments and agencies to organize capacity-building courses to improve staff competence and to conduct assessments and analyze data.

After 2 years of implementation, more than 3,000 patients have received take-home methadone doses. The report showed that the program was safe, feasible, and effective. Family members and patients felt satisfied and safe about the long-term methadone maintenance treatment. Overall, methadone maintenance treatment remains an effective intervention to treat patients with opioid use disorders in Vietnam and around the world. However, since this is a long-term treatment, patients have to come to the medical facilities every day to take their doses, there are some difficulties and limitations during the implementation of the methadone maintenance treatment program, especially for patients, which could lead to non-adherence to treatment.

In the next phase of the pilot project, the Hanoi Medical University research team will continue to provide technical support and collect, conduct assessments, and analyze data in other provinces and cities across the country.