By Firstdespatch Desk Apr 01, 2025
Agartala, Apr 1 (FD) Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha today informed the Assembly that as of January 2025, a total of 5,520 injection drug users have received treatment from Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers. Of these, 612 have completed treatment and returned to the mainstream of healthy, normal lives.
Dr. Saha, who is also the Health Minister of the state, said this while replying to a notice in the reference period raised by MLA Gopal Chandra Roy.
Dr. Saha stated that from April 2024 to January 2025, the Tripura AIDS Control Society has conducted various activities to increase awareness about and combat HIV in the state.
“Under the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) component of the Tripura AIDS Control Society, a district-level sensitization program on HIV/AIDS has been conducted with the participation of all the principals, head teachers, and headmistresses of 220 schools in the state where the trend of injecting drug use has been identified. To create widespread knowledge about HIV/AIDS among the general public of the state, an intensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaign was conducted across the state for three months from August to October 2024, covering 15,56,689 people in person, 663 villages, 401 schools, 36 colleges, and 140 public places,” said Dr. Saha.
He added that an awareness program on HIV/AIDS and injecting drug abuse was conducted among the Corporators and Zilla Parishad members of the Agartala Municipal Council under the West Tripura district.
“In order to create public awareness, messages related to HIV/AIDS and injecting drug abuse were displayed on 21 LED screens under the Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department across the state in January 2025,” said the Chief Minister.
He informed that three new satellite Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers have been operationalized in the Dhalai and South Tripura districts from September 2024 to January 2025 to provide oral substitution therapy to intravenous drug users, reducing the incidence of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C through needle and syringe sharing.
“A total of 18 Primary Health Centres/Community Health Centres in the West district and Urban Primary Health Centres have been approved for conversion into Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Centers, following the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OAAT) model of Punjab State to provide oral substitution and de-addiction therapy to intravenous drug addicts. The staff of all health institutions have already been trained, and implementation is in process. A total of seven stand-alone Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Centers staffed by the National AIDS Control Agency and 19 satellite Opioid Substitution Therapy Centers staffed by the State Government are now operational in the state, providing substitution therapy to mainstream injecting drug users. As of January 2025, a total of 5,520 injection drug users have received services from Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers, and of these, 612 have completed treatment and returned to the mainstream of healthy, normal lives,” he added.