The Punjab government is anticipating by taking away the rights of dispensing the detoxification medicine to stop private drug de-addiction centres from plundering on patients in need of help by exploiting from sale of buprenorphine.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Punjab, has introduced a proposal to allow private centres to prescribe the medicine while the government centres are allowed to dispense buprenorphine. The ban, will be in force only after the government works out modalities for providing the medicine at controlled rates at these centres.

In the government-run centres, patients are given a free daily dose of medicine while private centres do so for almost a week or more. Psychiatric clinics providing OPD-based psychiatric health facilities, at present are not allowed to dispense the detoxification medicines.

Many private centres indulge in malpractice of profiteering by selling buprenorphine for around Rs 400 per strip by exploiting the prevalent situation. The same medicine costs the government about Rs 50. Also, there is no check on quality of medicine acquired by private centres.

Around 2.5 lakh drug addicts are present in the state, whereas the number of those undergoing treatment at 181 government outpatient opioid assisted treatment clinics and 78 private centres is about 2.10 lakh.

On September 6, principal health secretary Anurag Agarwal held a meeting with commissioner food and drugs K S Pannu, joint director drugs Pradeep Mattu, owners of private de-addiction centres and psychiatrists to discuss this proposal. Agarwal expressed displeasure over private centres cheating patients and also gave illustrations of private centres supplying buprenorphine in disproportionally high number.

The suggestion to stop dispensing of buprenorphine at all private-owned facilities was discussed in detail and all stakeholders were assessed about it. As per the proposal, all private psychiatrists will be allowed to prescribe the medicine which will only be dispensed by government centres.

Once the modalities are worked out, only government supplied quality and rate-controlled buprenorphine will be available at private centres at controlled rates. The number of dispensing points will be increased up to 300 which is 181 at the moment to ensure that patients face no inconvenience.

Also, the government plans to allow psychiatric clinics to dispense buprenorphine and naloxone and is in the process of framing Punjab Registration and Regulation of Psychiatric Clinic Rules 2019.

Dr Rupinder Kapur, president of Punjab chapter of psychiatrists association, said the psychiatrists of Punjab were ready to give a helping hand in the fight against addiction as he welcomed the proposal. Dr Kapur said that if everyone has a level playing field, the society would have maximum benefit. This initiative will bring more clinical autonomy to every psychiatrist.