HUMAN RIGHTS EMERGENCY continues

NT Government fails to provide adequate treatment services to opiate users

At close of business Friday 5th of July, the NT Government had still failed to intervene in a disastrous situation faced by 40 dependent opiate users in the Northern Territory of Australia.

As of Monday 8th July, their treating doctor, Henry Pang, will be unable to prescribe opiate based drugs. This prohibition, put in place by NT Chief Health Officer Dr Shirley Hendy will have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of these people.

The Department of Health and Community Services has failed to provide an adequate alternative for the 40. Options put forward by the department include:

• Accessing withdrawal services at the Royal Darwin Hospital This is a totally inadequate solution to the problem. Many of the 40 opiate users have been using opiates for more than one and sometimes two decades. Many have tried detoxification and withdrawal on a number of occasions with limited success.

The NT government is arguing that the drug Buprenorphine is available during the withdrawal procedure. This drug may work for some people but it is not a magic bullet. NT doctors have received only 2 days training in the use of the drug, and when mixed with valium or other benzodiazepenes, can result in fatal consequences.

Withdrawal is not maintenance. Maintenance is the treatment provided currently Dr Henry Pang and a handful of other GPs, where dependent opiate users have access to a regular, sustained dose of a particular opiate based drug, enabling them to get on with their lives.

• Being referred to another GP Only a handful of GPs are prescribing s8 drugs in the NT. 7 doctors have been persecuted by authorities for prescribing the drug and doctors are reluctant to accept new s8 patients. The majority of practices in the NT carry signs – “s8 drugs not prescribed here”, to keep opiate dependent people from accessing the service. It is extremely unlikely that all 40 people will be able to access the 4 GPs (out of 90 in Darwin) who are still prescribing s8 drugs.

• Having surgery Despite waiting lists for elective surgery in the public health system. Operations for chronic back pain can have major consequences for people involved.

None of the options include maintenance treatment with opiate based drugs. NAP has demanded that the NT Government establish a clinic that will provide maintenance treatment to opiate dependent persons. (NAOMI – North Australian Opiate Medication Initiative.)

NAP will hold a rally outside the NT parliament house on Monday 8th of July at 12 noon.

For more information call 0415 16 2525 or email napnt@yahoo.com or see

http://napnt.tripod.com/pages/Articles_19.htm and http://www.henrypang.info/s8.htm