XN000022-1976-07-01 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1976

MORE DRUG ADDICTS RECEIVING TREATMENT AT METHADONE DETOXIFICATION CENTRES

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SOME 630 DRUG ADDICTS RECEIVED TREATMENT AT THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S 12 EVENING METHADONE DETOXIFICATION CENTRES IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OPERATION BETWEEN JUNE 23 AND JUNE 29.

THE DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES, DR. G.H. CHOA, DESCRIBED THE INITIAL RESPONSE AS +FAVOURABLE+.

WHAT WAS MORE ENCOURAGING, HE SAID, WAS THE FACT THAT THE DAILY RETURN RATE OF THE METHADONE USERS EXCEEDED 80 PER CENT, WHICH MUST BE CONSIDERED HIGHLY SATISFACTORY.

DR. CHOA SAID THE 12 EVENING METHADONE DETOXIFICATION CENTRES GOT OFF TO A SLOW START ON JUNE 23 WHEN ONLY 72 ADDICTS TURNED UP INCLUDING 20 TRANSFERRED FROM THE DAYTIME VIOLET PEEL CENTRE.

ATTENDANCES ON THE SECOND AND THIRD DAY WERE ALSO FEW, BUT THEY BEGAN TO PICK UP TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK WHEN MORE THAN 100 NEW CASES WERE RECORDED IN ONE DAY.

THE DIRECTOR SAID THE CENTRES AT KWUN TONG AND SHEK KIP ME! IN KOWLOON AND CHAI WAN ON THE ISLAND WERE THE MOST POPULAR, ACCOUNTING FOR ABOUT 50 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL REGISTRATION.

ALL CENTRES ARE OPEN DAILY FROM 6 P.M. TO 10 P.M. THERE ARE NINE SUCH CENTRES IN KOWLOON, ONE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND TWO ON THE ISLAND.

THE EVENING METHADONE DETOXIFICATION CENTRES ARE HOUSED IN GOVERNMENT OUTPATIENT CLINICS IN THE FOLLOWING DISTRICTS: CHAI WAN, WAN CHAI, KWUN TONG, SHEK KIP MEI, YAU MA TEI, SHAM SHUI PO, MONGKOK, TSZ WAN SHAN, KOWLOON CITY, WANG TAU HOM, CHEUNG SHA WAN AND NORTH KHAI CHUNG.

IN ADDITION, THERE IS A DAYTIME METHADONE DETOXIFICATION CENTRE AT THE VIOLET PEEL CLINIC OPERATING FROM 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M. ON WEEKDAYS AND 9 A.M. TO 1 P.M. ON SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS, AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.

SOME 200 ADDICTS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THIS CENTRE SINCE IT WAS OPENED ON JUNE 1. THE RATE OF INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES AT THIS CENTRE HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT SLOWED DOWN BY THE MORE POPULAR EVENING CENTRES.

DR. CHOA SAID HE EXPECTED THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF METHADONE USERS TO CONTINUE AS MORE AND MORE ADDICTS CAME TO KNOW OF THE METHADONE DETOXIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAMMES THROUGH VARIOUS PUBLICITY MEDIA..

HE SAID THE DEPARTMENT'S FOUR METHADONE MAINTENANCE CENTRES HAVE NOW REGISTERED SOME 7,300 ADDICTS, AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 2,000 IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

DR. CHOA REITERATED THAT SUCCESS IN ANY DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAMME COULD NOT BE ASSESSED BY NUMBERS.

+THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIME TO THOSE WHO MAY REQUIRE TREATMENT IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER,+ HE SAID.

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