Amid lockdown, drug users need residential care
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 05 2020:
The battle against COVID-19 may become even more challen-ging in the State if proper residential care is not given to drug users.
There is an urgent need to provide residential care in addition to initiating detoxification programmes for drug users otherwise it may help abet transmission of both HIV and HCV.
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has already prohibited admission of new drug users in rehabilitation centres opened in the State under the ministry.
At the same time, the Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has recommended all private rehabilitation centres not to admit new drug users.
However, the country-wide lockdown triggered by COVID-19 pandemic has evoked a serious question on how to deal with and treat drug users.
Talking with The Sangai Express, Community Network for Empowerment (CONE) president RK Nalinikanta said that the number of injecting drug users in the State is 34,344 according to data released by MHRD in 2019.With rehabilitation centres no longer taking in drug users and coupled with the lockdown, many drug users seemed poised to violate the lockdown in search of their daily requirements.
Even though police detained them for sometime and imposed fine, it is not helping them.
It is essential to provide residential care to all drug users pulled up by police where they can be given proper treatment including detoxification regimen, Nalinikanta said.
If such initiatives are not taken up at the earliest, the ongoing lockdown against COVID-19 may be rendered meaningless, he said.
He said there are 20 drug rehabilitation centres in the State under MHRD in addition to 46 other private rehabilitation centres.
There are around 2500 drug users in the 46 private rehabilitation centres.
Even though the private rehabilitation centres are still functioning as usual, most rehabilitation centres operating under MHRD has been closed since the lockdown and their inmates have gone back home.
One functionary of a rehabilitation centre operating under MHRD said that the ministry has prohibited admission of drug users till April 14.Under the Harm Reduction Programme of MACS, syringes were provided to injecting drug users so as to prevent sharing of syringes amongst themselves.
However, following the country-wide lockdown, it is not clear whether the same service has been continuing or suspended.
Sharing of syringes among injecting drug users is one common cause or route for transmission of HIV and HCV.
As such, the Needle and Syringe Exchange Programme (NSEP) is very much necessary for minimising transmission of HIV and HCV, said some injecting drug users.