Early this year, LVCT Health, through the USAID Stawisha Project, was honoured to host a delegation from eight USAID African countries: Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Zambia, Burundi, Botswana, Mozambique and Nigeria for a learning visit on our Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) project targeting People who inject/use drugs in Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
During their visit, the team visited the health department offices of Mombasa and Kilifi counties, as well as several MAT clinics, including MEWA, KISAUNI, Reach Out Centre in Mombasa, and Malindi MAT and Watamu MAT in Kilifi, where they had a first-hand experience on how the county governments and local implementing partners collaborate in reaching the recovering drug users.
In Kilifi County, the delegates were briefed on the strategies employed during the initial phase of preparation and induction into methadone treatment and how challenges were managed. They were oriented on the service delivery process in MAT clinics and the roles of each staff member.
The team later met with representatives from the Ministry of Health, Kenya Police, and the Judiciary to understand their contribution to the program, including best practices in initiating and strengthening Harm Reduction and MAT programs in their respective countries.
With support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the USAID Kenya, LVCT Health is working with the two counties (Mombasa and Kilifi) departments health, community-based organisations and local government agencies to support the successful implementation of MAT integrated health services delivery model and subsequently improve the quality of health and lives for People who inject drugs (PWID) through provision of tailor-made HIV and TB prevention and treatment programs and helping them recover from addiction.
This visit not only facilitated knowledge exchange but also laid the groundwork for future collaborations aimed at enhancing the delivery of quality health services within the MAT program in the target counties and beyond.