A Medical Media Group has been created for disseminating medical information to the public on instant messaging service WhatsApp under the initiative of RIMS doctor, RK Lenin. The initiative is sponsored by Share and Care (SAC) of Wangkhei Ningthem Pukhri Mapal, Imphal East on Saturday.
The group was formed ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, during a press briefing held by Dr Lenin at the Psychiatry Department, RIMS.
Addressing the media, Dr Lenin said that drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that requires continuous treatment.
Drug is not a newly invented thing but that it’s been used since human beings came into being. However, the abuse of drugs is increasing by the day which is affecting health and is now affecting the law-and-order system, Dr Lenin said.
Due to the increasing number of drug abuse, the issue is being discussed at international level and many means of preventing drug abuse is being implemented though it is not fully solved yet. If a strategy is not solving the issue, then another strategy should be implemented, he said.
Dr Lenin said that there are three strategies that were being used - demand reduction, supply reduction and in present harm reduction.
Describing the strategy, Dr Lenin explained that demand reduction means to reduce the demand for illegal drugs; supply reduction means to limit the availability of illicit drugs. At present, harm reduction strategy is applied to keep people who use drugs alive and as healthy as possible by improving the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of those served, and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance use disorder treatment and other health care services.
Regarding rehabilitation centres, he said that there are state’s run rehab centres as well as NGOs run rehab centres but mushrooming private rehab centres should be controlled by regulating standard operating processes by the state government. Some news about the death of drug users at private rehab centres have been heard which is probably due to the treatment gap, he said, adding that it can be solved by providing a standard operating process of treatment.
“There are about 40,000 injecting drug users in the state and over one lakh other drug users”, said Dr Lenin and added that in the coming few years women may be highest in numbers of using drugs like tobacco products in the state.
Some drug users who have been at rehabilitation centres many times but are unable to stop using drugs have chronic relapse disorder disease. So, a drug user cannot discontinue treatment, Dr Lenin said.
Dr Lenin also urged all to make a commitment to stop drug abuse or substance use and appealed for individual contribution for a collective effort to be able to save generations from abuse.
