XN000022-1979-02-14 — Page 22

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1979

DR. THONG SAID HE WAS INFORMED BY THE TUNG WAH HOSPITALS AUTHORITIES THAT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AS LAID DOWN IN THE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN HONOURED STRICTLY AND SATISFACTORILY.

+THUS THE WELFARE AND INTEREST OF BOTH PATIENTS AND STAFF HAVE BEEN CATERED FOR APPROPRIATELY AND THERE SHOULD BE NO UNDUE ILL EFFECTS RESULTING FROM THE CLOSURE OF THE PROJECT, + HE ADDED.

THE DIRECTOR REITERATED THAT ENDING THE PROJECT BY ITSELF +DOES NOT IMPLY THAT AES AS A METHOD OF TREATMENT IS ABSOLUTELY RULED OUT IN HONG KONG.+

ELABORATING ON THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE AES EXPERIMENT, DR. THONG SAID THE FOLLOWING FACTS EMERGED:

* OUT OF 300 PATIENTS ENROLLED FOR THE EXPERIMENT, 77, OR

26.5 PER CENT, COMPLETED THE 14-DAY TREATMENT PERIOD=

*

*

*

223 PATIENTS, OR 74.4 PER CENT, DROPPED OUT AT VARIOUS STAGES-

47, OR 16 PER CENT, WHO COMPLETED THE 14-DAY TREATMENT PERIOD SHOWED PRESENCE OF OPIATES IN THEIR URINE TESTS=

30,

OR 10 PER CENT, SHOWED NEGATIVE RESULTS IN THE IR URINE TESTS ON THE 14TH DAY-

* OUT OF THE 30 CASES, 22 HAD RECEIVED AES COMBINED WITH

METHADONE, WHILE ONLY EIGHT HAD BEEN TREATED BY AES ALONE-

*

A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF PATIENTS ATTENDING AES PROGRAMME WERE ALSO UNDERGOING METHADONE TREATMENT IN THE GOVERNMENT'S PROGRAMME CONCURRENTLY-

NO INFORMATION REGARDING FOLLOW-UP MEASURES OF PATIENTS AFTER THE 14-DAY TREATMENT PERIOD WAS AVAILABLE-

*

*

AES TREATMENT WHEN USED TOGETHER WITH METHADONE SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCED BETTER RESULTS AND,

*

IN GENERAL, AES TREATMENT SEEMED TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AMONG ADDICTS OF AN OLDER AGE GROUP WHOSE DRUG ABUSE BEHAVIOUR WAS COMPARATIVELY LESS APPARENT.

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