Location: Kabul

Situation:

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 92% of the world's opium comes from Afghanistan. The health and security situation in the country worsened considerably in 2008, with the intensification of fighting between insurgents and Afghan and international forces. In this situation, access to healthcare for the most vulnerable groups remains very difficult. This is
particularly the case for drug users, of whom there are an estimated 1 million, and amongst whom Doctors of the World (DoW) is running a harm reduction
programme.

Activities:

The DoW UK programme aims to reduce the risks associated with drug use by running a reception and healthcare centre and by working on the streets in Kabul. The services offered include provision of harm reduction materials and information, individual and group advice, HIV and hepatitis screening, treatment for AIDS-related opportunistic infections, access to medical care and social services (e.g.hygiene, nutrition). DoW  is also advocating for drug users to have access to anti-retroviral therapy and opiate substitution treatment.


Outlook:

We plan to open a national training and resource centre, based in the health centre. One of the key objectives will be to enable drug users across the country to access anti-retroviral treatment and opiate substitution programmes by training Afghan health and social care professionals.

Project start date: June 2006

End date: 2010