MULTAN:The Ministry of Narcotics Control and the Ministry of National Health Services on Tuesday mutually agreed to launch opioid substitution therapy pilot project.
Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ijaz Ahmad Shah and SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan presided over a meeting on the opioid substitution therapy project. According to a PID statement today, Opioid substitution therapy (OST) for injecting drug users (IDUs) reduces HIV risk behaviours and harms associated with injecting (such as abscesses, septicaemia and endocarditis), overdose and participation in criminal activity, thereby improving the quality of life and health of injecting drug users (IDUs).
A controlled pilot project with designated qualified personnel having permission to prescribe the relevant medication and in specified hospitals. The consumption will be closely monitored to determine the results.
A total of seven centers to be designated on initial basis that’ll include one in every province and one each in Islamabad, AJK and GB respectively. The results will be determined after 12 months and upon satisfactory performance, number of centers will be expanded. “This step will not only help us control the spread of drugs but also in dealing with transmission of deadly diseases like HIV AIDS” said Ijaz Shah.
SAPM Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan briefed the participants on technical details of the therapy and its benefits. The meeting was attended by Secretary Narcotics Control Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam, Secretary NH and RC Amir Ashraf Khawaja, representative of Anti-Narcotics Force and senior officials of Ministry of Narcotics Control.