Workshop on Increasing HIV Testing Coverage for People Who Inject Drugs

 

November 17, 2022

On November 17, 2022, a working meeting of the Health Department of the North Kazakhstan Region, the AIDS Center and the Mental Health Centers was held in Petropavlovsk under the chairmanship of the head of the department for the coordination of treatment and prevention activities and drug provision of the Health Department of the Akimat of the North Kazakhstan region Rinat Ulmesekov in order to increase the coverage of HIV testing for people who use injection drugs.

The working meeting was opened by the director of the regional AIDS Center Aiman ​​Syzdykova.

Topics for discussion: current epidemiological and drug situation in the North Kazakhstan region; testing of PWID at registration and every six months, including rapid tests based on the results of seven months of 2022.

  1. Gordymova, head of the epidemiological department of the OC AIDS, spoke on the first question, T. Yevtushenko, the doctor responsible for HIV-infection issues of the RCHC, spoke on the second question. Heads (psychiatrists-narcologists) of primary mental health centers of polyclinics of the city reported at the meeting.

The participants discussed problematic issues and worked out joint ways to solve pressing problems.

As a result of the meeting, each organization was given instructions to increase the testing coverage of PWID.

This includes the Mental Health Center mandated to offer voluntary and confidential screening for

HIV infection to persons with suspected injecting psychoactive substances delivered for medical examination.

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