Buprenorphine shortage, Gurdaspur’s de-addiction centre faces closure

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, November 24

After putting the lives of thousands of addicts back on track over a period of 32 years, the Gurdaspur Red Cross De-addiction Centre is on the verge of closure following an acute shortage

of buprenorphine.

These tablets are used to treat acute pain arising from the withdrawal of opium-related substances, including heroin, from the body.

Opened in 1991, the centre, a 30 bed mini-hospital, has treated around 28,000 indoor patients and 63,500 addicts in its out-patient department (OPD).

Project Director Romesh Mahajan said ever since the centre came into existence it had been purchasing buprenorphine from the Civil Hospital. “The last stock of 6,000 tablets was purchased in January. Now, the stock has run out. The Health Department has amended its old policy following which the authorities at the Civil Hospital have stopped our supply. We are facing a chaotic situation because an addict cannot live without his or her dose of buprenorphine while undergoing treatment,” he said.

Civil Surgeon Harbhajan Ram Mandy said, “We used to provide them the drug whenever they asked for it. However, now the Health Department has put on hold its earlier order following which we are helpless.”

Mahajan said he had approached Raman Bahl, Chairman, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, to sort out the vexed issue. On his part, Bahl has assured him that he is looking into the sequence of events leading to the disruption of the supply of the medicine.

A counsellor working at the centre said, “The withdrawal effects of opium, poppy husk and heroin can be countered only by buprenorphine. If the addict does not get this drug, he/she suffers acute pain,” she said.

Mahajan said he had procured tapentadol tablets as a substitute. “However, this tablet is four times more costly than buprenorphine. This is just a stop-gap arrangement,” he said.