A Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) Clinic was opened on Friday at the de-addiction centre located in the Jalandhar Civil Hospital to prevent drug overdose deaths.
An MMT clinic, often referred to as an opioid treatment programme, is a medical facility where daily doses of methadone, a long-acting synthetic opioid, are administered to addicts to eliminate cravings, suppress withdrawal symptoms, and block the euphoric effects of other drugs.
The clinic has been opened as part of the state government’s anti-drug campaign for the elimination of drug abuse from the state.
The inauguration in Jalandhar came after Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh virtually inaugurated a similar facility at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital.
Civil Surgeon Rajesh Garg said, “Methadone medicine controls cravings for opioids (heroin or smack) without injecting the drug. Its oral intake will stop the use of needles among patients, which will prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases like AIDS and hepatitis B and C.”
Medical Superintendent Namita Ghai said the Jalandhar Civil Hospital had made proper arrangements for the patient care, an uninterrupted supply of medicines and counselling. “The staff at the clinic is fully trained. They will treat patients free of cost by keeping their identity confidential,” she said appealing to people to consider drug addicts as patients instead of criminals and bring them to the clinic for treatment.
The Civil Surgeon and the Medical Superintendent inspected a special poster exhibition put up by nursing students on International Drug De-Addiction Day.
