Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Center started at AIIMS Bhubaneswar

By Swagatika Bhutia

Bhubaneswar, Aug.10: To strengthen treatment for addiction patients and severely ill psychiatric patients in Odisha AIIMS Bhubaneswar started several important services for the endeavor.

The Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS Bhubaneswar started its own Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Center for addiction patients in Odisha. Along with that, the Department also started an Acute Care Unit (ACU) in the Inpatient Unit for severely ill psychiatric patients and initiated clinical services for Children with Disabilities referred from State Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SIEP), Odisha.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Prof (Dr) Ashutosh Biswas inaugurated the facilities in the Department of Psychiatry. Opening the facilities for the people of Odisha as well as from neighbouring states Prof Biswas said that these services will be immensely helpful for different groups of psychiatric patients including patients with addiction and children with disabilities.

Project Director of Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) Dr. Urmila Mishra and the Medical Superintendent of AIIMS Bhubaneswar Dr S. N. Mohanty were also among the dignitaries on the occasion.

‘India is currently a home to more than 8 lakh Injecting Drug Users (IDU) and it is well known that for various reasons, many IDUs are unable to lead a drug-free life and hence they remain at risk of suffering from life threatening diseases such as HIV’, said Dr Biswa Ranjan Mishra, Head, Department of Psychiatry.

‘OST, along with a comprehensive package of psychosocial interventions, helps clients lead drug-free lives. The client also stops injecting drugs which eventually prevents the potential harm of contracting HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases transmitted through injecting routes’, informed Dr. Arpit Parmar, Nodal Officer of OST Centre and Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry. 

The center aims to cater to 150-200 clients on a day-to-day basis. This shall be a major boon to reach out to this neglected population in the state of Odisha. OST center will run daily while services to children from SIEP will be provided on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Psychiatry OPD.

The faculties of Psychiatry department Dr. S. K.Padhy, Dr. Suravi Patra, Dr. Shree Mishra and Dr Debadatta Mohapatra, alongwith the Project Coordinator of SIEP Dr. Pampa De, the OST Centre staff and the other representatives of OSACS were also present during the inauguration program.