K
香港政府
GIS 新聞處
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1976
PRH J
METHADONE TREATMENT FOR 6,000
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SOME 6,300 DRUG ADDICTS HAVE BEEN ON THE METHADONE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME ADMINISTERED BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT SINCE THE METHOD WAS INTRODUCED IN HONG KONG IN 1973.
A YEAR AGO, THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 3,600 ON THE REGISTER OF ADDICTS COMING FORWARD TO RECEIVE METHADONE TREATMENT.'
COMMENTING ON THE FIGURES, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID ALTHOUGH THERE HAD BEEN A GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW ADMISSIONS TO THE PROGRAMME, THE RATE OF DROPOUTS FROM THE PROGRAMME REMAINED UNCHANGED.
OF THE 6,300 ADDICTS ON THE REGISTER, LESS THAN 40 PER CENT WERE RETURNING FOR THEIR DOSAGE OF METHADONE, HE SAID.
THE METHADONE TREATMENT METHOD CALLS FOR DISPENSING OF A CONSTANT DOSE OF METHADONE DAILY WITHOUT HOSPITALISATION TO AN ADDICT AND FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THERE WERE AT PRESENT FOUR SUCH CLINICS FOR THOSE DRUG ADDICTS WHO WISHED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE METHADONE PROGRAMME EASTERN STREET HEALTH CENTRE ON THE ISLAND, HOMANTIN HEALTH CENTRE IN PRINCESS MARGARET ROAD, ROBERT BLACK HEALTH CENTRE IN SAN PO KONG AND LADY TRENCH POLYCLINIC IN TSUEN WAN.
HE EMPHASISED THAT DESPITE THE CONSTANT NUMBER OF DROPOUTS, THE EXISTING FOUR CLINICS WOULD BE MAINTAINED.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THERE WERE VARIOUS FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DROPOUT RATE.
A MAJOR REASON WAS THAT THE REGIMEN ADOPTED IN ANY ONE TYPE OF TREATMENT SCHEME COULD NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL THOSE WHO WISHED TO UNDERGO TREATMENT, HE SAID.
THEREFORE, DIFFERENT TYPES OF TREATMENT PROGRAMMES MUST RUN CONCURRENTLY, HE ADDED,
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Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191