An opening ceremony was held on July 27th of 2017 in Mazar-I-Sharif to underline the start of Methadone Maintenance Therapy in Balkh province. The Public Health Director Dr. Mohammad Merwais Rabi and Mr. Haroon Haleem, Head of prison Balkh province, inaugurated the OST center in Balkh prison settings. The MMT is the most effective treatment intervention for people who inject drugs (PWIDs) will have significant impacts on reducing prevalence of HIV and other blood borne infections among injectable drug users. The Methadone Maintenance Program is also crucial for reintegration of PWIDs into society and helps to reduce mortality due to overdoses of opioids. A total of 240 PWIDs will be reached through the MMT program, both
at community level and in prison settings. The project is implemented through financial support from UNDP/GF.
YHDO would like to mention the valuable support received from the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), Public Health Directorate of Balkh province and prison health officials. Their valuable collaboration is enabling YHDO team to start this essential and innovative intervention in afghan prison settings.