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Kilifi County Taking the Lead in Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) Programme with the First Anniversary of its MAT Clinic 

 

1 March 2016 - Spirits were high during the International Zero Discrimination Day in Malindi as the Kilifi County stakeholders celebrated the first anniversary of the Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) Programme. The Malindi MAT services were initiated in 2015 in the context of a national programme to prevent new HIV infections among People Who Inject Drugs (PWIDs). The MAT Clinic, located in the Malindi Sub-county Hospital, is supported by Government of Kenya and implemented directly by Kilifi County Health Department. The MAT clinic in Malindi, as well as other MAT clinics on the Kenyan Coast, are financially supported by the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The MAT Programme also relies on invaluable support of the OMARI Project, a Civil Society Organization (CSO) in Malindi, which provides a range of essential services, including psycho-social support to clients enrolled in the MAT Programme. Together with MAT clinic personnel, OMARI ensures that clients see their needs addressed comprehensively. In the context of this unique Programme, the UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa provided technical guidance, capacity building opportunities, and refurbishment of the Malindi Clinic.

This anniversary celebration allowed the Kifili County to showcase their commitment and demonstrate the positive impact of the MAT Programme in the lives of PWIDs and their families. Private sector representatives were also invited to witness the success of the Programme and engage in a dialogue on the sustainable livelihood needs of clients. The high point of the day was certainly the passionate testimony of MAT clients with the recognition of 30 individuals whose effort, dedication, and commitment to the program over the past year was recognized with in a certificate-giving ceremony.

The Kenya Consensus Report estimates that there are 18,327 PWIDs in the country, with 46% of PWIDs on the coast. The HIV prevalence is more than three times higher among PWIDs as compared to that in the general population. In response to this trend, the UNODC partnered with the Government of Kenya and CSOs to rapidly increase access to low threshold, high intake MAT services in Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale Counties. The first MAT clinic opened its doors in Kilifi County on February 26, 2015, followed by two more clinics in Mombasa County on September 11, 2015. Plans are currently under way to open a fourth MAT facility in Kwale County in 2016.