AIDS body, police to ink harm reduction scheme
AIDS body, police to ink harm reduction scheme
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta
The Jakarta National AIDS Commission (KPA Jakarta) and the
Jakarta Police are set soon to sign a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) on protection for volunteers and receivers participating in
a controversial harm reduction program.
The program is a scheme that provides injecting drug users
(IDUs) with the alternatives of either methadone treatment or
sterile, disposable needles. Methadone is a substitute drug that
can be taken orally instead of by injecting.
KPA Jakarta deputy chairman Izhar M. Fihir said on Wednesday
that the protection program would include three parties: field
workers, IDUs and hospitals.
"The MOU should be signed as soon as possible, as we want to
ensure that all parties involved in the program carry out their
activities without fear of being accused of promoting the use of
drugs," said Izhar.
The signing will take place later this month.
Such protection is needed because fieldwork requires
volunteers to go to hangouts frequented by IDUs.
"They (volunteers) will try their best to encourage IDUs to go
to rehabilitation centers. If they refuse, volunteers will then
offer IDUs two other options: either to opt for methadone
treatment or to use sterile, disposable needles," he said.
He asserted that this program was needed as a shortcut to
prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading fast.
Recent data from the Ministry of Health shows that half of
124,000 to 169,000 IDUs are HIV positive. The number of people
living with HIV/AIDS is estimated at 80,000 to 130,000.
The data also indicates that in Jakarta alone, there were
approximately 27,000 IDUs, with an HIV prevalence rate of 46
percent to 78 percent. If no preventive action is taken, the
number of people living with HIV/AIDS will rise to an estimated 1
million by 2010.
"That's why we need protection for IDUs as the police should
see them from a different perspective -- as victims of drug abuse
instead of criminals -- for only with help from the police will
the harm reduction program work," said Izhar.
As for protection for hospitals, he said that it was important
to ensure that hospitals participating in the harm reduction
program would not be charged with the offense of promoting the
use of illegal drugs.
To date, the program is available at drug rehabilitation
centers and has reached 3,000 IDUs. Izhar said he hoped the
program would reach 10,000 IDUs per year.