Activists split over HIV/AIDS program
Activists split over HIV/AIDS program
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta
A controversial harm reduction program that was introduced by the
government on Friday has split opinion among activists over how
effective it will be in containing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The spokesman for the Working Group on HIV/AIDS at the
University of Indonesia's School of Medicine, Zubairi Djoerban,
expressed his optimism on Monday that the program would help
reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users.
"It will be one of the most effective measures to fight the
spread of the virus among injecting drug users, provided that the
government applies strict supervision," said Zubairi, who is also
an AIDS expert.
According to 2003 data from the Ministry of Health, injecting
drug users accounted for more than 80 percent of an estimated
80,000 people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide.
The ministry also estimated the number of injecting drug users
in the country at between 124,000 and 196,000 at the end of 2002.
In an effort to curb the spread of HIV, the National Narcotics
Body launched on Friday a pilot harm reduction program that will
provide sterile disposable needles and disinfectants to injecting
drug users, as well as methadone and buprenorphine for heroin
users.
The pilot project, which will run for three years in Jakarta
and Bali, will involve the police, local health offices, research
centers and selected non-governmental organizations.
In Jakarta, the community outreach arms for the program are
Atma Jaya University, which will run information and health
kiosks in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, and the University of
Indonesia's Health Research Center, which will cover the Depok
area.
The project team has several working groups that will be in
charge of running counseling programs, providing health services
and operating a needle-exchange program at harm reduction posts.
However, Pelita Ilmu Foundation (YPI) project manager Pungky
Djoko said he doubted the program would be effective in combating
the spread of HIV among injecting drug users.
"The program requires close monitoring because otherwise we
won't know whether the clean disposable needles will be used by
one person only or will be shared with other injecting drug
users. And to monitor each (injecting drug user) is no picnic,"
Pungky told The Jakarta Post.
Zubairi agreed the harm reduction program would only work if
it was conducted in small working groups of four or five with one
mentor.
"A small working group will help the mentor get close to the
injecting drug users and monitor them easier," he said.
A similar harm reduction program has been implemented by the
YPI in Kampung Bali, Central Jakarta, since 2002. To date, there
are 190 people registered with the program.
The registered drug users have to bring their used needles to
the harm reduction post, where they can be exchanged for clean
disposable needles.