Kyrgyzstan – National overview
6.4 Problem drug use In the Kyrgyz Republic, problem drug use is defined as the use of drugs (opiates) by injecting or the longterm and regular use of opiates. In 2010–2011, no studies on the prevalence of problem drug use in the population were conducted. According to a study by UNODC (2006), which used a multiplier method, the number of problem drug users (PDUs) in the Kyrgyz Republic is 26 thousand persons (495 per 100 thousand of the total population), including 25,000 IDUs (476 per 100 thousand of the total population). According to the study, the age at which the first injection took place was 22 years on average. 74.8% of the respondents had shared paraphernalia in the last 6 months; 46.4% of the respondents had shared a syringe/needle. According to the results, 24.0% of IDUs are in Bishkek (747.6 per 100 thousand inhabitants), 12.0% (397.6 per 100 thousand persons) in the Chui oblast, and 12.4% (302.9 per 100 thousand inhabitants) in the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions; the remaining 51.6% is distributed among the other regions of the country (799.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants). The estimated number of injecting drug users in Kyrgyzstan, according to estimates based on the biobehavioural surveillance survey (BBS), was 18,934 persons in 2010 and 30,083 persons in 2009.
6.5 Treatment demand In 2011, the total number of patients receiving treatment was 3,277 persons (59.4 per 100 thousand inhabitants) (patients receiving compulsory treatment and visitors to trust points are not included), which is 17.6% less than in 2010 (3,979 persons) and 36% more than in 2009 (2,408 persons). The total number of persons admitted for treatment for the first time in their life was 1,841 persons (56.2% of all persons who received treatment in 2011). Of these, 579 were treated in hospital; 167 persons received outpatient treatment; 1428 patients participated in the methadone substitution treatment, and 1,103 patients participated in rehabilitation programmes. Among the 579 persons (10.5 per 100 thousand inhabitants) who received inpatient treatment in 2011 (in 2010 it was 450 persons), the proportion of women was 10.5%; the main drugs consumed were opiates (98.9%), while the remaining 1.1% were patients with a dependence on inhalants (glue, gasoline). 528 patients were treated for the first time in their life (9.6 per 100 thousand inhabitants), which amounted to 91.2%. It is 23.7% more than in the previous year (427); presumably, it is related to the fact that detoxification therapy was conducted with methadone in 2011 (UNODC project “Drug treatment and its health effects”). Among the patients who received inpatient care, two teenagers (0.3%) aged between 14 and 18 years were reported. The predominant age groups were aged between 25 and 34 years (45.7%) or 35 years and older (45%). Outpatient treatment (other than substitution treatment) was provided to 167 persons in 2011 (in 2010 it was 295 persons), which represents 3.0 per 100 thousand inhabitants, including 9 women. On an outpatient basis, patients received detox therapy and short-term psychotherapy. 91.0% of the patients were outpatient opiate users, while 9.0% were patients with a dependence on narcotic substances (glue, petrol, diphenhydramine, and benzodiazepine). In 2011, 1,428 persons were treated in substitution therapy programmes (25.9 per 100 thousand inhabitants), of whom 180 were women (12.6%). As of April 2012 methadone substitution therapy programmes were implemented in 20 facilities. The total number of patients admitted to the methadone maintenance treatment programme in 2002–2011 amounted to 3,559 persons, i.e. 14.2% of the estimated number of injecting drug users (25 thousand persons). In 2011, those who received substitution therapy (1,428 persons) represented 43.6% of all the patients treated in all forms of addiction treatment (3,277 persons). Currently, methadone therapy (MT) is fully funded by grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM). In 2011, in the programmes of medical and social rehabilitation there were only 1,103 persons, of whom 183 were women (in 2010 it was 1,625 persons, including 98 women), including those who received outpatient treatment – 124 persons, of whom 10 were women. In the study of underage patients in 2011, 112 persons with problematic use of psychoactive substances received medical consultations. Psychological examinations were undergone by 388 underage patients, of 53