Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 2 (HBTV): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday informed the Assembly that as of January 2025, a total of 5,520 injection drug users have received treatment at Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers. Of these, 612 have completed treatment and returned to normal, healthy lives.

CM Saha, who also serves as the state's Health Minister, made this statement while responding to a notice raised by MLA Gopal Chandra Roy during the reference period.

The Chief Minister stated that from April 2024 to January 2025, the Tripura AIDS Control Society conducted various initiatives to raise awareness and combat HIV in the state.

‘Under the Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) component of the Tripura AIDS Control Society, a district-level sensitization program on HIV/AIDS was conducted with the participation of principals, head teachers, and headmistresses from 220 schools where injecting drug use has been identified. To increase public knowledge about HIV/AIDS, an intensive IEC campaign was conducted across the state from August to October 2024, covering 15,56,689 people in person, 663 villages, 401 schools, 36 colleges, and 140 public places,’ said CM Saha.

He added that an awareness program on HIV/AIDS and injecting drug abuse was also conducted among the corporators and Zilla Parishad members of the Agartala Municipal Council in the West Tripura district.

‘To further public awareness, messages related to HIV/AIDS and injecting drug abuse were displayed on 21 LED screens under the Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA) Department across the state in January 2025,’ the Chief Minister said.

He informed that three new satellite OST centers have been made operational in the Dhalai and South Tripura districts between September 2024 and January 2025. These centers provide oral substitution therapy to intravenous drug users, reducing the incidence of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C through needle and syringe sharing.

‘A total of 18 Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres in the West district, along with Urban Primary Health Centres, have been approved for conversion into OST centers, following the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OAAT) model of Punjab. This initiative aims to provide oral substitution and de-addiction therapy to intravenous drug addicts,’ CM Saha said.

‘The staff of all health institutions have already been trained, and implementation is in progress. Currently, seven stand-alone OST centers, managed by the National AIDS Control Agency, and 19 satellite OST centers, operated by the state government, are providing substitution therapy to mainstream injecting drug users. As of January 2025, 5,520 injection drug users have received services at OST centers, with 612 successfully completing treatment and reintegrating into society,’ he added.

(ANI)