Embassy News

U.S. and Turkmen Training Supports Treatment of Drug Addiction and HIV Prevention

PAS No 229
February 02, 2009

Group Photo

Ashgabat, February 02, 2009 – On January 30, the USAID-funded CAPACITY Project, jointly with the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and UNODC, completed a five-day training for 25 participants on HIV prevention among drug addicts and treatment of drug addiction.  Participants from all five provinces of Turkmenistan took part in the training, including specialists in the study and treatment of drug abuse from the Turkmen State Medical Institute, drug abuse treatment clinics and the National AIDS Prevention Center.

International consultants led the training, providing participants with information on the latest methods of treating drug addiction, and preventing the spread of HIV among this vulnerable population.  In addition, the program provided training on identifying risk factors that can lead to drug abuse and methods for preventing drug abuse or addiction.  The training focused on practical skills that can be applied on the job and adapted to different risk groups.

The CAPACITY project assists the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan to develop infrastructure for a large-scale response to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.  It represents a network of organizations working on HIV prevention and one of the many projects that the American people have made possible in Turkmenistan.  Since 1993, USAID has been working in partnership with Turkmenistan to improve health care, promote agriculture, and support community initiatives.