Putting people at the centre of harm reduction: lessons from India

By Clare Morrison

Blink, and you would miss the National Drug Dependency Treatment Centre (NDDTC) in Sunder Nagri, New Delhi. Housed in a nondescript community centre in an area known for high levels of poverty, unemployment, and conservative values, it’s not necessarily where you would expect to find a drug treatment centre.

As we walk into the clinic, a row of people wait patiently to be seen. A man in his twenties approaches the nurses’ station, ready to take his daily dose of methadone. After five minutes, the procedure is complete. His paperwork is checked and he’s free to go about his day.

I’m at the centre with HIV activists from Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, Kenya and Indonesia. We’re there as part of an HIV prevention workshop hosted by India HIV/AIDS Alliance, which brought together advocates and prevention experts from Alliance Linking Organisations to share best practice on community-led HIV programmes that put people at the centre.