The expansion was part of thecity’s plan to launch 11 treatment facilities accommodating 8,500 peopleby February this year, said Nguyen Khac Hien, Director of the municipalDepartment of Health.
Infrastructure facilities, equipment procurement and staff training are also among the programme priorities, Hien added.
In 2014, as many as 2,300 people who had drug addictions were treatedwith methadone in six local centres, helping reintegrate them into thecommunity.
Currently, Hospital 09 cares fornearly 400 patients with HIV/AIDS receiving antiretroviral (ARV)therapy. Roughly 70-80 percent of the patients were previously drugaddicts and are struggling to follow the strict treatment schedule.
The facilities will help ensure the effectiveness of the treatmentwhile easing the financial burden on HIV patients and their families.-VNA