THE FIRST NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON OST IN NEPAL

Positive Voice (PV) is an organization established by a group of ex drug users and people living with HIV with the aim to improve the quality of lives of those people who use drugs and living with HIV/AIDS through Prevention, Care and Awareness programs and also reinstates their rights through Advocacy.
 
The Involvement of people who use Drugs in Nepal is minimal in every sector due to the existing stigma and discrimination. Unorganized and the lack of leadership has been a major cause for the lack of involvement of people who use drugs in various levels from grass root to decision making levels.

In order to address this Positive Voice successfully conducted “The First National Workshop on Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) in Nepal” on September 16, 2008 at Dhulikhel with support from Recovering Nepal (Network of people who use drugs in Nepal) through UNDP.

The workshop aimed to sensitize the participants on the user’s rights to continuum of services that can be made available to them. At present, immediate need of up scaling of various services such as Oral Substitution Therapy using Methadone and Buprenorphine, needle syringe exchange programs, Drop in Centers, Primary Healthcare services including abscess management and various treatments mainly HIV, HCV and sexually transmitted infections is highly in demand.

To upscale these services and to increase the interest and awareness on issues of harm reduction and this workshop aimed to generate future service providers and awareness to future service receivers. Building a strong leadership and spirit of advocacy for the user’s rights which can well organize the voices of marginalized Drug user’s and bring the national attention to the issues that they have been facing.

The intent of this workshop is also to focuses on the development of core lay competencies in health care, emotional and social support to promote the harm reduction services and well-being of those people who use drugs and living with HIV/AIDS.
For more information: www.positive-voice.org