Every HIV-positive patient who needs ARV therapy is supplied with free medications. At the beginning of 2012 3,223 people were receiving ARV therapy in Belarus (at the beginning of 2010 – 1,776 people). This year (2012) starts the process of gradual transition to public financing of the ARV medicines procurement.

Drug addiction is a severe ailment that is very hard to treat. Traditional programs of drug addiction treatment still do not yield good recovery results. Moreover, injection drug use implies higher risk of HIV contraction. Using financial resources of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grant, Belarus continues to implement methadone substitution therapy program that proved itself to good advantage in other countries worldwide.

Currently 12 drug substitution therapy rooms operate in the country, 4 of which opened in 2011. The rooms are operating in the cities and towns with the highest prevalence of opioid addiction and HIV: Minsk, Minsk region, Homiel, Hrodna, Svietlahorsk, Zhlobin, Mazyr, Salihorsk (Round 8 HIV grant); Sluck, Babrujsk, Pinsk, Polack (RCC HIV grant).

In the nearest future substitution therapy room will open in Barysay (RCC HIV grant). Currently 792 people are receiving substitution therapy in the country.

In 2011 special attention was paid to prevention activities among long-distance truck drivers who are the consumers of sex services at highways. 2,063 drivers were for the first time ever covered by the prevention activities during the “field” work with the participation of specialists of Belarusian Association of UNESCO Clubs. Women involved in sex business were also covered by this work.

In 2011 palliative assistance was rendered to 190 HIV-positive people. Specialists of the Belarusian Red Cross deal with severe patients in 7 cities and towns (Svietlahorsk, Homiel, Rechyca, Zhlobin, Minsk, Salihorsk and Pinsk).

In our country the church is actively engaged in prevention activities and helps HIV-affected people get rehabilitated and restore a full-fledged and productive life. Within the framework of the Global Fund grants implementation Inter-confessional Mission “Christian Social Servicing” consolidates efforts of different faith-based organizations. Out of the funds of the Global Fund grant 7 centers of medical and social support to prisoners and 10 centers of social support to former prisoners from amongst drug users and people living with HIV were opened in Belarus. Thanks to the efforts of the church, people living with HIV receive necessary assistance and spiritual support at such centers.

Last year the number of anonymous counseling stations of NGO “Vstrecha” for men having sex with men increased to 9. NGO “Vstrecha” was the first organization in the country that started regular work aimed at HIV prevention in the mentioned target group 10 years ago.

The mechanism of social services contracting by the state has been pilot-tested in the towns of Homiel region. In the towns of Zhlobin, Rechyca, Kalinkavichi and Svietlahorsk there were implemented project partially funded from the local budgets and partially from the resources of the grants of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Practical implementation of the social contracting mechanism is a result of the activities of the International Educational NGO “ACT”. Tender committees approved 10 proposals (2 — Zhlobin, 2 — Rechyca, 3 — Kalinkavichi, 3 — Svietlahorsk; 40% from public-sector organizations and 60% from NGOs) totaling 187,405,754 Belarusian rubles (contribution of the Global Fund is 60.3%). Approved projects deal with peer support groups for people living with HIV, HIV prevention at working places, assistance to children at social risk, etc.

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