"The Right to harm Reduction"

May 30, 2023

Under this name, public hearings were held in Astana on May 30.

The participants, including representatives of state, international and non-governmental organizations, discussed advocacy activities aimed at increasing the sustainability of the opioid agonist Maintenance Therapy (PTAO) program in Kazakhstan and its expansion.

The PTAO program has been implemented in Kazakhstan since 2008. Today, 16 PTAO offices have been opened in 12 regions of the country. But coverage remains low. As of December 2022, the program covered less than 1% of the estimated number of LUINS – 343 people.

Global studies demonstrate a direct link between injecting drug use and HIV infection: on average, the risk of HIV infection is 35 times higher among people who inject drugs.

The participants noted the need to reduce barriers and increase the accessibility of the program in the country, in order to provide all those in need in accordance with their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

O. Ibragimova, Kazakhstan Union of People Living with HIV :

- Patients of the PTAO program have the same rights as all of us. They can work, study, be happy. The implementation of the PTAO program in our country will reduce HIV infection.

A. Nurzhanova, a patient of the PTAO program:

- I am the 5th year in the program. Life has changed, I'm sober. I feel good. I'm working. I raise children. The program is very necessary!

B. Baiserkin, the Director of the KNCDIZ, spoke about the role of outreach work in HIV prevention.

- In our country, outreach is among the 12 forms of preventive work as methods of HIV prevention recommended by WHO. It is planned to include it in the nomenclature of specialties and further rate it, - B. Baiserkin emphasized.

The participants of the public hearings adopted recommendations to ministries, local executive bodies, and international organizations aimed at further expanding the PTAO in Kazakhstan.

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