Evaluation of Prevention and Treatment Services and Harm Reduction of Addiction with An Emphasis on HIV Infection in Afghan Refugees in Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran has put prevention of HIV among drug abusing Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan and returnees to Afghanistan on its agenda in the form of a joint project and in the framework of its bi/multilateral collaborations with the United Nations Office on Crime and Drug Control and its neighboring countries. In this project, community based services are offered through: peer education, condom use promotion and distribution, primary health care, including treatment of infectious abscesses, needle and syringe programs, opiate replacement therapy, referral to voluntary counseling and HIV testing centers, referrals in cases of antiretroviral therapy, psychological, social and laboratory services, and, treatment of tuberculosis, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. In order to monitor and evaluate the first implementation phase of this project that was conducted as a pilot in four DIC centers in Mashhad and Varamin, one year after initiation of the program in 2011, a focus group discussion was conducted. The FGD was conducted in the presence of 10 experts, directors and managers of this program on January 19th 2011 in the Administration Office of ‘Iran Drug Control Headquarters’ Treatment and Social Support Unit. The present paper is a qualitative assessment of the weaknesses, strengths, and challenges of the program, based on the experts’ views and opinions. Positive changes in these objectives are achieved, including: raising awareness of refugees, high risk behaviors reduction such as sharing needles and reducing risky sexual relationships, increasing HIV testing and identification of carriers and referring them to treatment centers. The project of U.N. office on Crime and Drug Control is appropriate solution to the challenges on prevention and treatment services and harm reduction of addiction with an emphasis on HIV infection in Afghan refugees in Iran.