De-addiction medicines in short supply, patients suffer

With no daily dose, addicts complain of developing other health complications

Archit Watts & Anirudh Gupta

Tribune News Service

Muktsar/Ferozepur, July 14

A number of government-run outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics in the district are facing a shortage of medicines used to treat drug addicts. As a result, the addicts are developing health complications and are lodging protests as well.

For instance, some addicts recently lodged a symbolic protest at the Community Health Centre in Chak Sherewala village here. They said they were suffering with joint pain and loose motions. “We are not getting the daily dose of medicines which helps us in de-addiction. We want to quit drugs but the shortage of medicines at OOAT centres is a big problem,” they said.

Dr Kiran, Senior Medical Officer, Community Health Centre, Chak Sherewala, said, “There is a spurt in the number of patients registered with the OOAT clinic after March. We are not getting adequate supply of medicines. The addicts make a hue and cry at the centre.”

Dr Rahul Jindal, psychologist, Civil Hospital, Muktsar, said, “There is a shortage of medicines but we are managing somehow. Nearly 350 people are daily coming to us to get medicines. Those registered at other OOAT clinics, too, are coming here. We are mostly giving medicines to those registered with us.”

Meanwhile, sources in the Health Department said even warehouses were running short of stock of medicines being used at OOAT clinics. “Some private de-addiction centres are now overcharging and giving medicines to the addicts at almost 10 times the actual price,” they claimed.

As the supply chain of drugs and narcotics was broken due restrictions, thousands of drug addicts are making a beeline to OOAT centres in Ferozepur too, which has resulted in the acute shortage of buprenorphine tablets. From seven to 10 patients, the daily number of patients at the centres has increased at almost 25 to 30 patients.

Sources in Civil Hospital said most of the centres in the district were left with a stock of around 1,500-2,000 tablets only whereas their actual requirement is around 3.5 lakh tablets per month.

Dr Rachna Mittal, district incharge of the Drug De-addiction Centre, said earlier, they used to provide a dose for around 14 days to each patient considering the protocol of the lockdown, but now, due to shortage of medicines, the doctors are giving medicines only for one or two days after which the patient has to visit again.”