Apathy puts IDUs in a quandary
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 18 2014 : With the authorities sitting idle even as NACO has given its approval to open an Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) site at Moreh, injecting drug users (IDUs) living in the border town have been enduring lots of difficulties.

Some IDUs of Moreh alleged that they are being subjected to regular harassment and physical assault by Assam Rifles personnel posted at the border town.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Care Me Group convenor Seikhen Mate said that IDUs of Moreh have been facing a lot of difficulties and a desperate situation.

Many of the problems encountered by the IDUs on daily basis can be effectively addressed if an OST site is opened at Moreh.

According to a report published by the Manipur State AIDS Control Society, there are 22210 IDUs in Manipur.

To provide OST service to at least 20 per cent of the IDUs is NACO's objective.

In order to achieve this objective, there is a need to provide OST service to 4442 IDUs which implies Manipur requires 37 OST sites.

At present, there are 10 OST sites and they are being implemented by nine NGOs.

In order to provide OST service to the remaining 3002 IDUs, NACO gave approval to open 19 more OST sites 2 years back.

But none of these 19 OST sites have been put into operation.

Moreh PHC is one of the sites among the 19 OST sites approved by NACO two years back.

The OST sites opened in the State were run by NGOs.

But the newly approved OST sites would be run at health institutes functioning under the State Government.

It has been quite a long time that people have been talking about opening an OST site at Moreh but no OST is seen till date and many IDUs have expired without ever getting any OST service, said Seikhen Mate.

Notably, OST is one novel programme aimed at reducing health risks posed to IDUs because of their dependency on drugs.

At these OSTs, IDUs are given drugs prescribed by qualified medical practitioners in place of the illegal drugs which they took to earlier.

Moreover, IDUs are given regular counselling as well as health care facilities in order to bring them to normal life.

Trauma and stress generally seen among IDUs when their daily doses of drugs are not available or when they do not have money to procure the illegal drugs can be effectively treated by OST.

However, with the State Government sitting idle as far as opening the 19 newly approved OST sites is concerned, more than 3000 IDUs are living in a desperate situation.

Moreh being a transit point for smuggling various kinds of illegal drugs, such drugs are readily available and the number of drugs abusers in the border town is quite high, said Seikhen Mate.

It is also a transit point for smuggling different kinds of illegal drugs.

Majority of the youths of Moreh have been affected either by ethnic conflict or the protracted armed conflict.

It is again a township where people from many remote and underdeveloped villages came to earn their livelihood.

These youngsters are highly vulnerable to drugs.

With no better options available, these youngsters who have become IDUs have been working as porters to so that they can get their daily supply of drugs.

These youngsters who have been a life of misery with all the health problems caused by abusing drugs are often subjected to physical and mental harassment by Assam Rifles without giving any reason, alleged Seikhen Mate.

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