Opioid Substitution Therapy Centre inaugurated at STNM Hospital

HOPE FOR INJECTING DRUG USERS 
GANGTOK, 27 June: Principal Director, Health Services, Dr. IL Sharma today formally inaugurated the Opioid Substitution Therapy [OST] Center at the Psychiatric center, STNM Hospital. 
The inaugural programme was held at the European commission building, STNM Hospital complex organised by Sikkim State AIDS Control Society [SSACS] which had Dr. IL Sharma as the chief guest along with Additional Director, Drug Control, Health Department, Additional Medical Superintendent STNM Hospital, Dr. KB Gurung and Project Director SSACS, Dr. Uttam Pradhan.
The chief guest in his address stated that since long scientists and doctors had been working on finding apt solutions, methods of harm reduction in Injecting Drug Users [IDUs] and after several years of hard work the OST was traced as one of the measures to control and reduce harm in IDUs.
Injecting drug through veins increases the risk of transmission of various life taking diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C so to avoid any such harm these centers are established and operated by National AIDS Control Society, added Dr. Sharma.
The process in OST center treatment is long and involves low risks, the OST way of treatment is the best for IDUs. If the IDUs cooperate with the centers and the doctors concerned, then the users can be detoxified and later can even lead a normal life, he informed.
Whereas on the other hand Dr. Sharma also stressed that the doctors or counselors present in the center need to interact with the IDUs to motivate and build a healthy reputation so that the IDUs undergo the treatment course till detoxification is complete. He also urged the doctors, counselors and nurses appointed in the center to adopt such practices till the treatment procedure is completed.
He further urged all departmental staff present not to take the OST center as a programme but rather to coordinate in all possible ways to eradicate IDUs from the state totally.
PD, SSACS, Dr. Uttam Pradhan stated that IDUs have emerged as an important high risk group with potential of contracting and transmitting HIV due to unsafe injecting practices including sharing of needles, syringes and other paraphernalia. The strategy in NACP III to prevent transmission of HIV among IDUs is ‘Harm Reduction’. The harm reduction strategy includes needles syringe exchange programme, behavior change communication [BCC], out reach and substitution therapy.
Dr. Pradhan added that Substitution therapy with Opioid is a well accepted treatment strategy for harm minimization in IDUs and several studies from around the world have shown that OST can reduce the prevalence of HIV and HIV risk behavior among the IDUs.
Adding more he mentioned that the two most commonly used Opioid medications for OST are Buprenorphine and Methadone and both medications have been found to be effective in HIV prevention.
Further explaining the OST, Dr. Pradhan stated that Opioid substitution therapy involves replacing the client’s primary drug of use [Opioid] with a medically safe drug or the same Opioid in a safer mode of administration under medical supervision. In OST, an Opioid [such as Heroin, Spasmo Proxyvon dilution and injection in case of Sikkim] which is unsafe, requiring repeated administration through unsafe/ hazardous route is substituted with a medication such as Buprenorphine which is long acting, safer and administered through oral or sublingual route. The medication used in OST helps the client not to experience either withdrawal or euphoria.
Further more, OST helps in achieving a comfortable level and the client stops injecting drugs which eventually prevents the potential harm of contracting HIV and other diseases transmitted through injecting routes as well.
Earlier during the programme, a power point presentation on OST was also presented by north eastern regional technical officer, IDUs NACO, Saubhagya Chakraborty. The inaugural session of OST was also attended by doctors, nurses of STNM Hospital along with staff of SSACS and NGOs.