Evaluation of opioid substitution therapy in Kyrgyzstan (2016)

An evaluation of the opioid substitution therapy (OST) programme in Kyrgyzstan took place from 15 to 19 June 2015. This evaluation was a follow up of the previous one by a World Health Organization (WHO) mission in 2008. A delegation from the WHO Regional Office for Europe met with representatives of the Government, Drug Control Agency, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, United Nations agencies, international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), staff of drug treatment services and NGOs. Mission members conducted focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with injecting drug users at several OST sites.

This evaluation explored how the country had implemented the recommendations from the earlier evaluation in 2008. The WHO mission developed further recommendations on the sustainability of OST, how to increase its accessibility, and improve its quality in the civil and penitentiary sectors.