Hopes high for harm reduction program to curb drug abuse
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta
Andi, 24, cannot stop injecting drugs -- even though he tested positive for HIV three years ago.
Although he now regrets the possibility that his days are numbered due to the habit that has been an integral part of his life since he was 18, Andi expresses the hope he will not transmit the virus to others.
He is one of around 190 injecting drug users (IDUs) who attend a harm reduction program run by the Pelita Ilmu Foundation (YPI) in Kampung Bali, Tanah Abang district, Central Jakarta. Drug abuse has been widespread for years in Kampung Bali.
The controversial harm reduction program aims to discourage the sharing of needles among IDUs, or even stop drug abuse altogether.
Andi described the program as "helpful" and "hopeful".
"Before I joined the program, I used to inject heroin into my veins six to eight times per day. Now I've managed to reduce it to three times a day," said Andi, who helps YPI as a program volunteer.
During the program, he was taught about the need to use clean, disposable needles and refrain from sharing used needles with fellow IDUs.
Andi said participants of the program were told to bleach needles after using them, in order to keep them clean. Often, because of too much bleaching, the needles became useless for injecting anymore.
"Yet, we try our best to make use of what we have as we are already aware of the dangers of sharing needles and don't want others to contract HIV/AIDS," said Andi.
Another IDU, Heru, who also lives in Kampung Bali, shared Andi's opinion.
"The program teaches me how to clean my used needles using bleach so as to prevent myself from contracting or spreading the virus," said the 25-year-old, who has been injecting heroin for six years.
He tested negative for HIV recently.
Since joining the program two years ago, he said he had managed to reduce his heroin injecting frequency to four times per day, from eight previously.
YPI ran the harm reduction program secretly at its inception in 2002, as at that time it was considered illegal.
The Ministry of Health estimates the number of IDUs at 124,000 to 169,000, with more than one-third HIV-positive.
Due to the rapid increase in the number of IDUs and the spread of the virus due to needle sharing, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Ministry of Health signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the program to fight HIV/AIDS among IDUs in December 2003. Under the MOU, IDUs who join the harm reduction program will be exempted from police measures against drug abuse.
Less than two weeks ago, the BNN officially launched the harm reduction program in a pilot project scheduled to run for three years in Jakarta and Bali. The program will involve local authorities, including health offices, the police, research centers and selected, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The program aims to discourage the sharing of contaminated drug equipment by providing sterile, disposable needles and disinfectants so as to reduce the likelihood of IDUs contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS.
Every Monday and Thursday an IDU will be given two sterile needles, along with disinfectants.
The program has sparked controversy, as many people consider that the provision of clean, disposable needles to IDUs is tantamount to government support of drug abuse.
Baby Jim Aditya of the NGO Human Participation (Partisan), which is concerned with HIV/AIDS activism, said the program would be effective if the government maintained strict supervision of recipients, otherwise IDUs would continue to share needles.
"If possible, we should learn from the Netherlands, which has introduced a 'shooting gallery', where IDUs can exchange used needles for new ones. The new needles are dumped after use in the gallery," Baby Jim said on the sidelines of a commemoration here of World Antidrug Day on Saturday.