Study Mission of Kazakh and Afghan Medical Doctors to the Addiction Science Congress in Iran
14-18 September 2016, Tehran, Iran
On 14-18 September 2016, delegations from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan were invited by the Iranian Drug Control Authorities to attend the annual Addiction Science Congress held in Tehran, Iran. The Congress held different panel sessions on the prevention and social aspects of addiction such as HIV and other blood borne viruses, the role of youth organizations in prevention, on street substance users' communities, molecular aspects of substance abuse, primary prevention at the workplace, psychosocial interventions in addiction medicine, the challenges of treatment of women drug users in Iran along with other topics.
Several plenary sessions on such topics as the biologic basis of addiction: perspective for prevention and treatment (Mr. Reza Malekzadeh), a review of HIV hepatitis C hepatitis B and TB in prison in the Middle East Region (Mrs. Kate Dolan), Iran's experiences of harm reduction: achievements and challenges (Mr. Parviz Afshar), and also on the community-based management of opioid overdose (Mr. Nikolas Clark) were held within the framework of the Congress.
Within the lines of the Congress, a separate panel on the important aspects of addiction science in the Republic of Kazakhstan was also held. The topics on preventing addictive behavior, prevention of addiction, addiction and psychotherapy, epidemiological research on drug dependence, human resource policies and programmes were presented and discussed.
Furthermore, the delegations visited the Iranian National Centre on Addiction Studies (INCAS), where presentations on epidemiology of substance use (Dr. Masoumeh Amin-Esmaelli), the national policies on drug demand reduction (Dr. Alireza Noroozi), buprenorphine treatment (Dr. Mohammad Reza Haddadi), and on the methadone treatment (Dr. Azarakhsh Mokri) were made.
The participants agreed to move forward in joint activities within the regional research and training and continue these discussions in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, when the Iranian delegation will visit the Republican Research and Practical Centre on Drug Addiction of Kazakhstan in October, 2016.