Bandung drug users escalate
| Wed, 02/10/2010 1:55 PM
BANDUNG: The number of injecting drug users has continued to increase, with the figure estimated to reach 27,000 in West Java.
"The figure is the tip of the iceberg," said Teddy Hidayat, methadone therapy medical program team coordinator at Hasan Sadikin hospital, on Tuesday, at the program's event in Kebon Waru penitentiary in Bandung.
He said 30 percent of projected 27,000 drug users would need methadone substitute treatments but many would not be able to afford to do so due to various problems, including the therapy's unfamiliarity among the community.
The therapy is one of the harm reduction strategies for drug users by replacing the injection with liquid and drinkable methadone.
The penitentiary's warden, Suharman, said out of 1,598 inmates in the prison, 345 were brought in for drug-related cases, making the therapy crucial in the prison. - JP
