Medical interventions are an important and necessary part of comprehensive harm reduction programs, providing an opportunity to PWID/PWUD to access health services (something they are often deprived of for a variety of reasons like discrimination, financially, fear of arrest…). At each DIC a team of doctor(s) and nurse(s) are available on weekdays (e.g. Monday to Friday at 09.00 AM to 12.00 PM and 1.00 PM to 4.30 PM) to offer free consultations. Activities include:

Health Care Services:

• Free consultation for drug related health problems and general illnesses;
• Primary Health Care;
• Abscess Management;
• Emergency arrangements (i.e. overdose…);
• Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS;

Counseling and psycho-social support:

PWID/ PWUD and their Family & Partners are provided counseling services like HTC, HIV counseling (Positive living), Family & Partners counseling (lose and grieve, bereavement), Drug Counseling, MMT Counseling, TB Counseling etc.

Activities include:

• Treatment adherence support
• Psycho-social support
• Counseling support
• HTC for PWID and the Bridge Populations ( PWUD, F&Ps,…)
• Funeral support for deceased clients

Funeral support

The deceased clients’ final journey from this world is supported by arranging funeral support, making rituals based on the religion of the deceased client as a token of a so called “decent death” which every human being wishes for…and drug users are also “human beings”!

Treatment:

• Medical examination for establishing a diagnosis (including the recording of vital parameters);
• Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment;
• Anti-Malaria Treatment;
• Symptomatic Drug Treatment (SDT);
• Prevention, screening and treatment of OI; Anti-Retroviral Therapy;
• Hepatitis B screening and vaccination;
• Screening and treatment of STIs;
• Free medication;
• Referrals to available specialized (TB, MMT, ART) and general health services

Care & Support:

• Visiting clients at the place they reside by AHRN Treatment Facilitator or DOTs supervisor for treatment adherence support on ART, TB, MMT…
• Buddy Care System and 24-hour Care Center from Better Shade Peer Support Group (BSPSG);
• Linkages with Counseling Services for psycho-social support including nutritional support to HIV,TB and malnutrition clients through World Food Program Food supplies, transportation for clients;

Capacity Building:

• Training of all AHRN staffs on harm reduction, addiction, MMT, HIV, HBV, HCV, TB and other health issues related to drug use;

Buddy System of Peers

Recruited and trained male/female peers, supported by professional staff of AHRN Myanmar, act as care and (moral) support givers on different levels (practical nursing care, nutrition, companionship, funeral arrangements) for PWID/PWUD residing in the in-house care and support center.

Training for Peer Staffs

Peer staffs are provided with trainings to improve their capacity through direct involvement in program planning and implementation, improvement of knowledge and attitude on HIV/AIDS, TB, Overdose and other severe health issues.