Here is an understatement. "It can be challenging at times working as a female staff in a male-dominated drop-in centre."

I wonder how many patients she sees and how many of them are women.

Jamie

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Spotlight: “Seeing These Changes Are The Greatest Rewards For Me” – Meet Myat Noe Khin
Access to Health
22 August, 2019

Providing services in a supportive and judgment-free environment is important for people who use drugs to access the services they need. Myat Noe Khin has been working as a nurse in the methadone clinic in Nam Mun, Kachin State, gaining the trust of her clients with her bubbly and upbeat personality.
Can you tell us about yourself?

I am Myat Noe Khin and I have been working as a nurse at this methadone clinic managed by Metta since 2016.

I dispense methadone, provide counselling to clients and also organize weekly public awareness campaigns in the villages. At our methadone clinic, we identify new clients through these public awareness activities. We then provide counselling to these clients and encourage them to visit the clinics to seek treatment when they are ready.

What is your favourite part of the job?

After providing and organizing public awareness campaigns and health education to the public and people who use drugs, I see new clients coming to seek treatment or take HIV tests. Through these activities, the community has gradually come to understand and support our harm reduction activities.

For my clients, when I see their health improve after undergoing methadone maintenance therapy and antiretroviral therapy, I feel really happy for them. Seeing these changes are the greatest rewards for me.

What are some of the challenges you face in the job?

It can be challenging at times working as a female staff in a male-dominated drop-in centre.

Another challenge in the job is when we go on our outreach activities, we often face resistance from religious leaders and community leaders, especially in new communities. Many of them still see methadone as a drug and do not accept it as a form of treatment for heroin.

What is your hope for the drug dependence situation in your service area?

I want more people to know about harm reduction. With the support and involvement of everyone in the community, we can collaborate together and really address the drug dependence issue together.

https://www.accesstohealthfund.org/en/newsroom/item/1192-spotlight-seeing-these-changes-are-the-greatest-rewards-for-me-meet-myat-noe-khin?fbclid=IwAR1JLoSnO4Ovrc8vIGMUvbcBRzsPUukzBwT1sS_6wD-65OTy-SYYWzC_jaY