Self-help groups of both drug-using and non-drug-using women in Hanoi and other countries were able to improve the relationship and communication between health care staff and patients/clients; peer counsellors and a buddy system led to improvements in the health care provided to and accessed by the women [3, 30, 31] . Successful examples of this intervention have been documented among clubs for tuberculosis patients [32] , alcoholics, cancer patients and patients with chronic illnesses and mental problems [30] .