Alliance scales up anti-retroviral and substitution therapy programmes in Ukraine
10 May 2006
As of 1 March 2006, 2,766 people are receiving anti-retroviral treatment within the framework of the Global Fund-supported Overcoming the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Ukraine programme, according to data from the Ukrainian AIDS Centre.
The Alliance also added five more regions in April to the 15 where anti-retrovirals are currently available. An assessment of the regions’ readiness for anti-retrovirals showed that their AIDS centres need to be re-equipped and, following an Alliance call for projects that would provide technical assistance to the centres, this work will begin between April and July.
The Alliance continues to scale up substitution therapy programmes for injecting drug users. On 3 March, Alliance Ukraine initiated amendments to an order to regulate the implementation of pilot substitution therapy projects in two additional regions.
According to data supplied by the Substitution Therapy Resource Centre on 1 April, 209 patients are now receiving buprenorphine substitution therapy, 162 of whom are HIV positive, with 56 receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapy.
In order to scale up substitution therapy, the Alliance is searching for a supplier of methadone – a cheaper medicine that still has to be officially registered in Ukraine.
