Hanoi opens first methadone clinic

After successful pilot schemes endorsed by the UN, Vietnam is going ahead with methadone treatment centres as a tool to combat crime and the spread of Hepatitis C and HIV/Aids. Hanoi this week inaugurated its first methadone treatment centre and five more are planned in the city. The new centre makes Hanoi the third Vietnamese city to now have Methadone treatment facilities after two successful pilot schemes were carried out in the heroin and aids hotspots of Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong. The pilot schemes were very effective and out of 1600 people who took part, after six months of treatment there were no more HIV transmissions, a high percentage of the patients gained weight and a third even found employment.

The opening of this treatment centre in Hanoi is promising because despite the success of the clinics, the amount of people who need methadone treatment is far higher than the places available in the centres. Currently the region referred to as the Golden Triangle that includes Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, is the second biggest heroin producer in the world. This has caused high levels of domestic heroin use which has in turn led to high levels of HIV and Hepatitis C transmission. In Vietnam the transmission rate amongst intravenous drug users is relatively high; almost double the world average, at 20.23%. However in some cities the transmission rate is even higher; in Haiphong it is 35.75% while in Ho Chi Minh City it is 51.33%.

The social, economic and public health benefits from methadone treatment are obvious. Methadone treatment is much cheaper than other treatment models such as detoxification and criminal or administrative detention. Also while on methadone treatment addicts are not usually injecting therefore reduce the risk of contracting HIV or other bloodborne diseases. A study of the pilot scheme also acknowledged that after treatment patients seemed to reduce their risk of contracting diseases in other ways, such as having safe sex. Contracting such diseases can lead to serious costs not only on the individual but also on their families; diagnosis, treatment and loss of income can have serious negative consequences especially on those living in developing countries.

Out of Asian countries China has taken the lead in using Methadone treatment clinics to treat heroin addiction, and currently there are 503 centres in 23 provinces. The positive response the program has received in Vietnam will hopefully lead to its wider implementation.