Punjab War Against Drugs

Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Bhagwant Mann Government’s harm-reduction services, a key component‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’, are emerging as an important pillar of the state’s fight against substance abuse. People suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) can avail harm reduction services through 547 Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres run by the state’s health department and 47 Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centres run by the Punjab State Aids Control Society, along with Targeted Intervention Services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), harm reduction encompasses a range of interventions aimed at minimising the negative health and social consequences associated with drug use, including…