Needle Exchange Programme
The needle exchange programme (NEP), also referred to as the syringe exchange programme (SEP) or the needle and syringe programme (NSP) is a policy service that provides access to sterile needles, syringes, and other paraphernalia to injecting drug users (IDUs) (Katherine 72). The policy enhances healthcare affordability in that IDUs get these equipment at little or no cost. NEPs started in the 1980s in the UK as a means to curb the prevalence of AIDS and hepatitis B. Soon after, the programmes began to crop in the U.S. The masses realized the need to stop the spread of these diseases among the individuals who inject drugs. As a result, the masses created the Prevention Point, an illegal all-volunteer and street-based operation, which was the basis of NEPs in the U.S. (Bassler 22). In a recent study, the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals the effectiveness of NEPs in reducing the prevalence of HIV and other blood-transmitted viruses among IDUs and discourages increased use of drugs (WHO 10).
WHO supports the policy on the basis that it is a substantial and cost-effective strategy of curbing the spread of AIDS and saves a lot of government revenue that would be used to cater for AIDS patients (20). Ksobiech writes that opponents of the programme argue that most IDUs fail to return used needles to healthcare centres increasing the risk of the surrounding community to health problems due to the exposure to contaminated needles (2). Although the Congress banned fund allocation for NEP, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reckon the implementation of 200 NEPs in 36 states (Katherine 75). For effective implementation, some state and local governments and private non-profits organization fund these programmes. NEPs are implemented in most health care centres across the U.S. (Katherine 76). An impact of NEP on the nursing career is that it promotes worker training. Nurses receive training on needle exchange procedures, which is a task beyond their contractual obligations. Through the training, they receive advice on how to advice distressed drug users on sharing injecting equipment.