How Methadone And Clean Needles Could Turn Around Sas Drug Crisis

In Pretoria, heroin and nyaope users are being given clean needles and methadone in a novel way of fighting drug dependence. Methadone is an artificially modified opioid similar to morphine, but people using it have fewer withdrawal symptoms. In a community project funded by the City of Tshwane people like Kgaugelo Baloyi are being weaned off heroin.

With this daily dose of medically supervised methadone and counselling from a team at a community programme called Cosup, Baloyis life is heading back on track.

Without such harm reduction, drug dependents risk HIV and other infections because they often share needles.

But while methadone replacement therapy has been proven to work, its still unavailable in most public clinics, and private health plans wont cover it.

Expanding programmes like Cosup could save lives and reduce healthcare costs, transforming South Africas approach to drug use.

The health department will launch a pilot methadone programme at two clinics one in Mpumalanga and another in North West this year.

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