Maintaining continuity of essential HIV services in Myanmar

Maintaining continuity of essential HIV services in Myanmar (Antiretroviral therapy – ART and Methadone Maintenance Therapy – MMT)

Myanmar has faced numerous challenges in recent years. In such turbulent times, maintaining essential healthcare services for all populations everywhere, is of utmost importance, especially for those who are most vulnerable. One of the critical areas of healthcare that requires uninterrupted attention is the response to HIV, which includes Antiretroviral therapy (ART) and Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT). 

Photo: Counselling service provided to ART client (Credit: Myanmar Positive Group)

Myanmar is one of the countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region with a high burden of HIV. In 2022, it was estimated that around 280,000 people were living with HIV in the country and HIV prevalence was particularly high among key populations including people who inject drugs, female sex workers and men who have sex with men. Despite progress made over the years, due to COVID-19 and other contextual issues, the country started experiencing challenges in ensuring continuity of HIV services. 

During these challenging times, WHO has been working with stakeholders to ensure access to HIV services including uninterrupted supply of essential health commodities. WHO is also providing continuous technical support to all implementing partners on operationalizing HIV-related services according to the global guidance, towards positive health outcomes for the people who are infected with and affected by HIV. Due to these efforts by all stakeholders and partners, close to 210,000 people living with HIV were continuing life-long ART by the end of 2022. Similarly, around 20,000 people who inject drugs were on MMT in 2019 which has increased to nearly 26,000 in 2022. MMT as part of a harm reduction approach, helps HIV prevention among other health benefits. Take-home dose provision of MMT increased from 10% in 2019 to nearly 90% in 2022. Scale-up of life-long treatment for people living with HIV and MMT for people who inject drugs were back on track in 2022, also through continuous coordination among stakeholders and monitoring and troubleshooting of supply chain related concerns. 

Photo: A patient receiving take – home Methadone (Credit: TGG Methadone clinic)

Maintaining continuity of essential HIV services, including Antiretroviral Therapy and Methadone Maintenance Therapy, during the crisis in Myanmar is a moral and public health imperative. The vulnerability of people living with HIV and key populations must be recognized, and effort should be made to protect their access to lifesaving treatments. Continued collaboration among stakeholders is also crucial to ensure that the access to HIV healthcare services remains resilient and responsive in these challenging times, ultimately helping Myanmar continue its progress in the response to HIV.