Middle ground sought for harm reduction program

Middle ground sought for harm reduction program

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A year since the harm reduction program was launched, the
National AIDS Commission (KPA) and the National Narcotics Agency
(BNN) are still encountering difficulties with law enforcers when
their volunteers distribute sterile needles to drug users as it
is viewed as a violation of the law.

"It's very difficult as the program may still be considered to
be in violation of the Narcotics Law, which views injecting drug
users (IDUs) as criminals. The workers may be considered to be
abetting a criminal," KPA Jakarta chairman Suharto said on
Thursday.

Therefore, he said, the project has only been implemented in
the rehabilitation center of Fatmawati Hospital, South Jakarta,
and the Cipinang Penitentiary, East Jakarta.

Suharto said that more areas needed to be covered by the
program as IDUs were spread throughout Jakarta.

Last year, BNN and the Ministry of Health signed a memorandum
of understanding, in which the controversial harm reduction
program was officially launched and introduced to the public as
part of the country's fight against HIV/AIDS.

It is a scheme that provides IDUs with the alternative of
either methadone treatment, or sterile, disposable needles.
Methadone is a substitute drug that can be taken orally instead
of by injection.

Data from the Ministry of Health reveals that half of an
estimated 124,000 to 169,000 IDUs in the country are HIV
positive. The total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the
country is estimated at between 80,000 and 130,000.

"In a bid to find the middle ground on how to carry out the
program without violating the law, we will consult with the
Supreme Court 'to soften the law' ... Each volunteer will wear an
identity card, so as to let the police know they are not drug-
dealers and are helping in the program," he said.

Only a few countries have implemented the program as it is
still controversial, even in the United States and Australia. The
Netherlands is among the program's success stories. India and
Thailand have also participated in the program on a limited
scale.