De-addiction clinics in Tarn Taran, Amritsar face medicine shortage
AMRITSAR:The governmentrun outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) centres in Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts are facing shortage of vital medicines required for treating drug abuse victims, mainly due to the spike in number of patients during the lockdown period.
The authorities at these centres say due to the shortage in the stock they are now giving daily dose instead of providing take-home medicines to the patients for two weeks. Earlier in March, the Punjab government had instructed all 198 OOAT centres, 35 government de-addiction centres and 108 licensed private de-addiction centres to provide take-home doses of buprenorphine and naloxone for two weeks after an assessment by the psychiatrists. The step was taken to maintain social distancing among the patients at the centres due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 40,000 patients are registered in government and private de-addiction centres in Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts. Most of the patients rely on 14 OOAT centers in Tarn Taran and nine in Amritsar.
“For the past one week, I have been forced to travel for over 30km daily to take my daily dose. Sometimes, I even return without the dose,” said 28-year-old patient from Algonkothi village of Bhikhiwind subdivision in Amritsar. The authorities cite increased load of patients due to the lockdown as the main reason behind the shortage of medicines.
“Since the lockdown, 4,000 new patients have registered themselves and a large number of drop-out patients have resumed treatment in Tarn Taran. Due to this, the consumption of medicines has increased,” said Dr Jaspreet Singh, medical officer (MO) of Bhagupur OOAT centre.
On Tuesday, around 50 patients held a protest in Tarn Taran civil hospital alleging they were not given the medicines.
Tarn Taran civil surgeon Dr Anoop Kumar said, “The patients who protested were given the medicine later. Due to the increased load of patients, the shortage of medicines is witnessed in the entire state. We have already written to the senior authorities about the demand of the medicine.”
Dr Rajive Arora, MO at the government OOAT centre in Amritsar medical college, said, “Earlier we had been giving 15-day take-home medicine to the patients. Now, due to the shortage in supply, we are giving daily dose to them. We have been assured that the supply will soon be regularised.”
SANGRUR SEES 7,134 NEW PATIENTS
Meanwhile, as many as 7,134 new patients got themselves registered at OOAT clinics for de-addiction treatment during the lockdown period in Sangrur district.
DC Ghanshyam Thori said, “Due to non-availability of drugs, the addicts are voluntarily getting themselves registered at the de-addiction centres.”