Vietnam Biggest City Strives to Expand Methadone Treatment

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is striving to increase the number of drug addicts accessing methadone treatment to 8,000, state media reported. Since the methadone program began in 2008, more than 4,000 local addicts have so far been treated with the drug, with 68% of them getting employment. The current number of medical facilities providing the treatment across the city amounts to 19, most of which are State-run clinics. By the end of 2016, three more facilities will be put into operation in District 2, District 3 and Can Gio suburban district, helping increase the number of patients using the therapy to 5,500. District 5 together with Tan Phu and Cu Chi districts are set to join the program within the first quarter of 2017. However, municipal health officials said the methadone treatment has been facing budget difficulty due to dropping international aid and State financing in recent years. Given the context, HCMC spent more than VND 7.6 billion ($342,000) on purchasing the drug in the 2014-2015 period. The city has also decided to add over VND18.3 billion ($823,000) to the budget for this work this year. (vietnamplus.vn July 10)