Kathmandu, May 3:Youth Power-Nepal today organised a seminar on Role of District Level Policy Makers and Planners on Drug Harm Reduction Advocacy Programme that was participated by medical professionals from both government and non-government sectors. Drug harm reduction programmes mainly focus on slowing down the spread of HIV infection among injecting drug users and from injecting drug users.

The first cases of HIV infection spread due to unsterilised contaminated syringe and needle were traced back in early 1970s. According to United Nations statistics there are approximately 10 million injecting drug users in the world, out of which around 40 per cent are HIV positive.

Available statistics show that the situation is equally alarming at home also. According to 1999 government data, out of the 50,000 drug users in Nepal around 20,000 take drugs through needles. It is found that 40 per cent of them are infected with HIV while about 6 per cent and 60 per cent of them are infected with Hepatitis B and C respectively.

Dr. Chop Lal Bhushal, working with drug’s demand reduction programme of Home Ministry, said that the development of proper mechanism to check on misuse of authority the government is ready to allow other hospitals and health centres to carry out substitute therapies and needle exchange programmes under doctor’s prescriptions. At present Nepal’s only one Patan Mental Hospital is authorised to carry out methodone promotion programme.

Psychiatrist Dr. Dhruba Man Pradhan claimed that providing substitute therapies to drug users is key to reducing social, economical and health harms, for which he recommended change in attitude of government officials responsible for the implementation of such programmes. “Creating a drug free society is an utopian dream that is unlikely to realise. Government should work towards finding ways to reduce drug harm reduction,” he said.