South Africa: Dr Hermann Reuter Says the Biggest Battle After HIV in SA Is Addiction - and It Is Being Ignored
[spotlight] Dr Hermann Reuter did pioneering work treating HIV in the early 2000s in Cape Town and in the rural Eastern Cape. Today, his focus is substance abuse, which he believes is the country's biggest health issue after HIV. Sue Segar spent time with him to learn about his work in the Garden Route city of George.
Dr Hermann Reuter, a German-accented doctor from the early 2000s, continues to pioneer treatment of substance abuse in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town and the rural Eastern Cape. Reuter's current focus is on addiction, which he believes surpasses HIV as the biggest health issue in the country. In George, a Garden Route city, he runs a methadone programme and counselling sessions for people struggling with substance abuse at the Central Clinic.
Jodie Fonseca, a 37-year-old heroin addict, visits the clinic to receive her daily supply of medication. She has been battling addiction for 20 years and has sought help in George, moving there from Johannesburg due to the ease of accessing heroin in the latter. Reuter, along with volunteer Brian Faul, a 26-year sober alcoholic, provide warmth and support to the long line of patients waiting for their turn.
The Central Clinic offers outpatient rehabilitation and counselling services for those struggling with substance use disorder, a program not typically available in the public healthcare system. The NGO Smoking and Alcohol Harms Alleviation and Rehabilitation Association (SAHARA), founded by Reuter five years ago, collaborates with the Western Cape health department to run the methadone programme on Tuesdays and counselling sessions on Fridays.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- SPOTLIGHT: After HIV, addiction is SA’s biggest battle and it’s being ignored dailymaverick.co.za
