Strengthening its fight against drugs, the Punjab government has introduced the internationally accepted drug de-addiction treatment Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) for people with severe opioid dependence, said health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh.
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The newly established clinics will provide supervised methadone therapy, along with psychological counselling, psychiatric consultation, relapse prevention services, family counselling and regular follow-up.
The minister said conventional treatment largely relied on Buprenorphine-based Opioid Substitution Therapy, which involved replacing harmful opioids with regulated medication to treat addiction, and abstinence-based rehabilitation.
“MMT, implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), provides an additional treatment option for patients with long-term opioid dependence who have not responded adequately to existing therapies,” he said in a statement
He said the expansion of methadone facilities was part of the state’s anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashean Virudh”, which placed a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, particularly for people with opioid dependence who were at a high risk of relapse.
“The comprehensive approach will improve recovery outcomes and help patients successfully reintegrate with their families and society,” he added.
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Six dedicated methadone clinics are now operational across Punjab at Government Medical College, Faridkot; Civil Hospital, Ludhiana; Government Medical College, Patiala; and district hospitals in Gurdaspur, Mohali and Jalandhar. The state government also plans to establish six more MMT centres in the coming months, taking the total number of dedicated facilities to 12, said the minister.
