U.S. and Tanzania Launch Medication Assisted Therapy Program for Drug Users.

Fron right are U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Mr. Alfonso E. Lenhardt, Mr. Phillip Marmo, Minister of State in Tanzania's Prime Minister's Office - Coordination & Parliamentary Affairs and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby - announced the establishment of the first Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) program for drug users in sub-Saharan Africa. Services will be initiated shortly at a site in Dar es Salaam to be followed by two more sites in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. These services are a crucial part of HIV and health services because MAT allows drug users to return to a regular, productive and healthier life. (Photo courtesy of the American Embassy)

U.S. Ambassador Alfonso E. Lenhardt, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby and Phillip Marmo, Minister of State in Tanzania's Prime Minister's Office - Coordination & Parliamentary Affairs - announced the establishment of the first Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) program for drug users in sub-Saharan Africa. Services will be initiated shortly at a site in Dar es Salaam to be followed by two more sites in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. These services are a crucial part of HIV and health services because MAT allows drug users to return to a regular, productive and healthier life.

At the ceremony at Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel Tanzania Drug Control Commission in collaboration with PEPFAR Tanzania also made public five documents that will serve as the blueprint for Tanzania’s response to HIV among drug users:
Policy Guidelines for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) of Drug Dependence
Outreach Service Guide for HIV Prevention among People Using Drugs
Minimum Standards for Health Facilities Providing Medically Assisted Treatment of Drug Dependence Medically Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence: Clinical Guide for Zonal and Regional Referral Hospital.

A Guide for Screening and Brief Interventions for Substance Use Disorders in Primary Health Care Settings As the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to introduce MAT, Tanzania will serve as a model as well as a public health leader in the field of HIV prevention. This groundbreaking nationally-led initiative demonstrates commitment at the highest-levels of leadership to the prevention of HIV and the improvement of health services for Most-At-Risk populations and vulnerable groups in Tanzania.

The American People, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are providing funding and technical assistance to the Tanzanian Drug Control Commission (DCC) and to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.

The Tanzania Drug Control Commission (DCC) is an independent government department mandated to define, promote, and coordinate government drug control policy, including programs and interventions contributing to the National HIV response targeting injecting and non-injecting drug use. The Commission operates under the Prime Minister’s Office and has a governing board with representatives from seven sector ministries from Mainland and three from Zanzibar.

Since 2008, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has supported DCC in order to strengthen Tanzanian government efforts to establish and expand HIV programs and services for Most-At-Risk Populations, with a particular focus on drug users.

Recognizing that high-risk practices related to drug use contribute to the spread of HIV, this inter-ministerial commission has promoted and adopted novel and evidence-based interventions to facilitate improved access to services that prevent HIV among drug users. As part of this effort, DCC led the development of a framework and a series of policies and guidelines for HIV control related to drug use in Tanzania. Other key partners involved in the development of these guidelines and the introduction of services for drug users include the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.

The United States of America is a global leader in combating HIV/AIDS worldwide through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This 10-year, $48 billion program is the largest initiative in history to combat a single disease. Since its inception in 2003, the American People have provided over $817 million to combat HIV/AIDS throughout Tanzania. In 2010, we expect to provide an additional $300 million to Tanzania to fight this deadly disease.