FHI 360 is supporting the Government of Vietnam to reduce injecting drug use and the spread of HIV among injecting drug users — specifically among opioid-dependent drug users — through methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) programs. FHI 360 supports these programs through initiatives like the MMT Group Forum, a web-based forum that serves as a knowledge resource platform for clinicians working in MMT clinics.

With support from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the MMT Group Forum provides online access to Ministry of Health guidelines, in both Vietnamese and English. The forum also posts research, news, video clips and clinical protocols.

Since the first MMT program was launched in 2008, methadone maintenance therapy has been embraced by the government as an important strategy to address injecting drug use in Vietnam. As of November 2012, there were nearly 11,000 patients treated in 57 clinics in 15 provinces. The Deputy Prime Minister supports a national scale-up to serve 80,000 patients in 245 sites across 30 provinces by 2015.

As MMT programs continue to expand across Vietnam, training and quality assurance for clinic settings will be crucial.The MMT Group will play a critical role in information sharing and will also act as a networking facilitator among the growing numbers of MMT practitioners in the country. A planned component for the future will be a Clinical Discussion Round Table, hosted and managed by FHI 360, that will provide a means of consulting with senior addiction specialists.

Launched in February 2011, the forum has already produced 850 logins and 47,542 page-views.To access the site, please go to: http://www.dieutrimmt.vn/Home/Default.aspx .