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NEW DELHI: Survey after survey has shown that drugs use and addiction continue to be a serious problem in Punjab. The Punjab Opioid Dependency Survey of 2015 conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS, for the ministry of social justice and empowerment (MSJE) put the figure of dependent users in need of treatment at 3.2 lakh. The latest survey by the same body released earlier this year says the number of opioid dependent users has gone up to 7.2 lakh.

The data which is part of the first comprehensive national report on magnitude of substance use in India shows that the situation has only gotten worse: Punjab is second in the list after UP.

The AIIMS report has called for urgent interventions across India. While the Centre has asked states to submit their annual plans to step up the fight against the menace, in March a consultation in New Delhi was organised by MSJE where states and stakeholders came together to share their experiences and decide on the way forward. It was here that the Punjab situation was discussed threadbare.

But in all this, there is some hope. Punjab authorities said that a total of 73,496 patients have registered for the OOAT (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment) in Punjab between October 2017 and March 31 this year across 27 districts. Over 67,000 have returned for medication. This, they say, is a good sign — OOAT could be the answer to making treatment accessible to the large number of people in need of it.

As of now there are 174 OOAT clinics and there are plans to take this to 200, according to Dr Sandeep Bhola, master trainer and technical adviser to Punjab government. “Compared to 7.2 lakh opioid users in need of help, 73,000 may appear to be a small number but for us this is an important milestone. It shows so many people are coming for medication. Most come in daily and this medicineassisted treatment along with psycho-social counselling allows the patient to carry on with his or her daily life. Hospitalisation cannot be an answer for everyone and is not practically possible for all patients,” Bhola said. The government is also planning to start mobile OOAT clinics. There’s talk about exclusive clinics for women.

Before the 2019 report, a similar survey two years ago by the Indian Council of Medical Research-PGI, Chandigarh, said approximately 1 in 6 persons in Punjab were dependent on some substance.

