NACO to set up five opiod substitution therapy (OST) centres

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To rehabilitate drug addicts and to check the increasing prevalence of AIDS,

Punjab has been chosen by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to set

up five opiod substitution therapy (OST) centres.

The centres, which will treat only intravenous drug users (IDUs), will become

functional in a month in the Civil Hospitals at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar,

Tarn Taran and Batala.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Ravinder Rao, project director, IDU (NACO) said the

centres would be first of its kind, as no such centres at present exist in

state-run Civil Hospitals across the country.

Earlier, such centres were run through the network of NGOs or at Central

government-run institutes like AIIMS, New Delhi, and National Institute of

Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Bangalore,†said Dr. Rao, who was

in the city to inspect the project site.

He said Punjab had been chosen since it had a high number of IDUs and had a

well-established network of healthcare facilities.

He said once registered with the centres, IDUs, who use syringes to inject drugs

into their body, would be put on a year long course of an opium derivative

(buprinorphine), the dose of which would eventually be tapered off.

He further said 500 drug addicts would be registered in the first phase. Besides

medicines, the staff at the centres, which include a psychiatrist and

councilors, would be provided by the Central government.

 

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100612/punjab.htm#11