Shortage of medicines ails OOAT centres in Tarn Taran

Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, December 31

The shortage of medicines meant for drug-addict patients visiting the OOAT centres in the district has raised criticism from all quarters.

Under the programme launched by the state government, the OOAT clinics and all de-addiction centres were to provide medicines to be taken at home for two weeks to the registered patients.

It was launched to deal with the problem of drug abuse, but the recent shortage of medicines at these centres has raised doubt about the viability of the programme and seemed to have left the patients at the mercy of fate.

According to the information collected from the district health department, there were as many as 18,000 registered patients who had been taking medicines from different government OOAT centres based at Tharu, Sarhali, Tarn Taran, Patti, Kairon, Bhagupur, Harike, Sursingh, Khemkaran, Khadoor Sahib, etc.

Officials said the supply of buprenorphine tablets had been erratic for the last one month across different centres of the district. Patients complained that their medicines had already been reduced regardless of their condition and requirement. For the last one month, even that has not been provided properly. For the last few days, medicines have been stopped or the amount of doses halved at various centres.

Patients alleged that the medicines, which were in short supply at the OOAT centres, were freely available at higher costs at all private centres, but being from poor families they cannot afford it.

Perturbed over not getting medicines, patients blocked the Khemkaran-Harike state highway on Thursday, disrupting traffic for hours. The administration and the police had to pacify the patients by assuring them that they would resolve the problem soon.

Leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, met the district-level medical officer, Dr Aisha Dhawan (psychiatrist), at the local Civil Hospital and brought the problem to the notice of the authorities concerned.

Salwinder Singh Jeobala, leader of the committee, said at present the patients were given medicines just for one day and the patients had to wait almost all day for their turn. He said most of the patients were daily wagers and could not go to work as a result of which they could not make ends meet.

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