Nearly 50% of targeted drug addicts receive treatment

BANGKOK, May 5 (TNA) - Deputy Public Health Minister Dr. Surawit Khonsomboon announced Saturday that a total of 46 per cent of drug addicts in Thailand, out of the total target for 2012, has received treatment. Dr. Surawit acknowledged that 184,526 drug addicts had received treatment during October 2011-April 29, 2012, representing some 46 per cent out of the target laid out by his ministry. The Thai Ministry of Public Health has set the targets that drug addicts in the country will not exceed three out of every 1,000 population and up to 400,000 addicts will receive treatment in 2012, and that not less than 80 per cent of those treated will no longer take drug within a year. In order to attain the goals, Dr. Surawit said that his ministry plans to set up a drug rehabilitation centre in every district, or a total of 950 centres will be set up this year, and that nearly 2,000 addicts have been treated by such the centres, most of them were addicted to methamphetamine and marijuana. Meanwhile, Thailand's Food and Drug Administration or FDA insisted that it will give no further extension for the return of pseudoephedrine-based cold pills and hospitals, clinics, pharmacies failing to meet the deadline on May 3, 2012 will be legally punished in accordance with the Thai Psychotropic Substances Act. FDA Secretary-General Dr. Pipat Yingsaree told journalists that over 20 million pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets, from a total of some 60 million tablets, and 11 million milliliter of pseudoephedrine-based cough potion had been returned as of May 4, 2012. Pseudoephedrine-based medication has been put on the list of Category 2 psychotropic substances by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, as part of its efforts to control of the smuggling of the drug for narcotic production. The Thai FDA earlier asked hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies with no license nationwide to return all pseudoephedrine-based medicines they had in their stocks to their providers before May 3. Those who are found to possess pseudoephedrine without a license will be subject to 1-20 years imprisonment or a fine of 20,000-400,000 baht each or both. As for control measures, the Thai FDA chief said that licensed hospitals or clinics, both public and private, are also required to specify the amount of the medicine they intends to use each year in their acquisition plans, which must be endorsed by directors of the hospitals or clinics. According to the FDA secretary-general, a clinic can acquire no more than 5,000 pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets and 150 pseudoephedrine-based cough potion bottles, 60 milliliters each, monthly; while hospitals with overnight beds can acquire no more than 10,000 pseudoephedrine-based cold tablets and 300 cough potion bottles, 60 milliliter each, monthly. Furthermore, FDA secretary-general said the FDA will ask providers of the cold medicine to report purchases of the medicine online, with training on the newly-introduced computerized system to be provided for them within this month. (TNA)