Project title

The main goal of the project is HIV prevention among injecting drug users in Šiauliai City providing pharmacotherapy.

Project objectives:

• To provide pharmacotherapy for HIV/AIDS prevention.
• To provide low-threshold services (needle and syringe exchange, condom provision, tests for early diagnosis and control for drug use, wound bindings, doctor consultations, laboratory tests, etc.)
• To inform clients about the dependencies harm to health, to consult them and motivate to change their behaviour.
• To build the capacities of the personnel working with pharmacotherapy patients.
• To equip pharmacotherapy cabinet and to improve working conditions for personnel working directly with injecting drug users.

Implementing the project pharmacotherapy cabinet was opened in Šiauliai Personal Health Care Centre Mental Health Centre. Since the opening of the cabinet the services were provided for 25 patients, at the end of the project for 17 persons. Three of them approached treatment centre for the first time.

The following activities were implemented with the help of the project: established pharmacotherapy with methadone cabinet and equipped cabinets for the staff, purchased equipment and commodities for the low threshold service provision, motivated staff working directly with IDUs and project administrators.

Low threshold services were provided in Šiauliai Personal Health Care Centre also. IDUs and there family members were informed, consulted and motivated to start the treatment. During the project implementation Mental Health Care Centre staff participated in the trainings. Purchased new equipment and furniture assured better working conditions for the staff as well as more qualitative services for the IDUs.

Project conditioned better and broader medical and psychosocial services for IDUs in Mental Health Care Centre. IDUs have an opportunity to reintegrate into society, with the help of the provided psychosocial services they can receive not only pharmacotherapy treatment, but also other medical services, and therefore their social disjuncture is reducing. Patients are assisted receiving needed documents, intermediated in different institutions, consultations are provided for their family members.

Only one patient out of 25 who were tested for HIV, HBV and HCV was not infected with any of the indicated viruses, all the others are carrying the viruses. All the control drug tests for the patients in pharmacotherapy treatment were negative.

Project helped to increase tolerance towards IDUs among Mental Health Care Centre staff as well as among Šiauliai Personal Health Care Centre employees. Establishment of pharmacotherapy with methadone cabinet in treatment centre did not create any problems neither for the staff, nor for the other patients.

Main project indicators:

• Total number of clients in FT - 25;
• Number of patients testes for HIV, HBV and HCV - 25;
• Number of HIV, HBV and HCV tests - 83;
• Number of trainings which were attended by centre personnel - 3.

UNODC budget