Introduction

The Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS was established in the year 1988 and was functional from the premises of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, New Delhi.  In 2003 it was upgraded as the National Centre (National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre) and is fully operational from its new premises in Ghaziabad since April 2003. 

The centre has well qualified multi-disciplinary faculty and staff (medical doctors, pre-clinical scientists, social scientists, research staff, nursing staff, laboratory personnel and administrative staff) to render various modalities of care. Clinical care is provided through Outpatient, inpatient settings and in community clinics.  Help is available for the treatment of disorders related to use of all the substances i.e. Alcohol, Opioids, Cannabis, Tobacco etc. Treatment modalities include both pharmacological (i.e. with medications) and non-pharmacological (i.e. psychological / social) treatments. Both medically assisted and drug-free treatment related to drug use, and long-term supervised medications (Buprenorphine / Naltrexone maintenance therapy) are provided. The centre carries out the relevant haematological, biochemical laboratory tests to monitor health damage. Further, several drugs of abuse are screened simultaneously through analysis of patients’ urine sample.

The centre has been involved in:

1. Assessing magnitude of drug abuse in the country.
2. Providing clinical care to patients - hospital and community based -through daily OPD, special clinics, ward and community clinics in 
    urban-slums of Delhi.
3. Health education
4. Manpower development – training of several categories of staff
5. Establishment of laboratory to detect drugs of abuse in body fluids and health damage.
6. Documentation, publication of resource material and creation of database.
7. Research.

 

The Centre provides clinical care to about 7400 new patients and about 25000 old patients every year. It also provides clinical care to about 21000 patients in its community clinic. In addition, every year about 500 patients are seen in Tobacco use cessation clinic, about 60 patients in adolescent clinic and about 250 patients in dual diagnosis clinic. Currently, about 1100 patients are admitted in a year.

The years 1999-2006 saw much growth and many achievements for the centre. The centre has developed curricula, training schedules, modalities and resource materials for training of trainers, Medical Doctors (GDMOs), nurses and laboratory personnel. Between January 1989 and October 2007, about 40 courses for doctors have been organised. Various manuals for doctors are available. The training programmes have been reviewed and modified through workshops of resource persons.

The proposed future activities of the centre are:
1. Linking injecting drug use – HIV/AIDS, and strategies to control spread of IDU.
2. Integration of tobacco, alcohol and drug problems.
3.To serve as resource centre for MOH, WHO (SEARO) and SAARC countries.
4.To develop nationally relevant health education material, new treatment modalities and cost effective treatment.
5.To suggest measures to monitor minimum standard and quality of care in various de-addiction centres.
6. Creation of national database.
7. Assist the Drugs Controller General (India) regarding abuse liability / therapeutic potential of various psychotropic compounds.
8. Quality of laboratory services in the de-addiction centres.
9. Pre clinical research on development of tolerance and dependence.
10. Expanding the scope of training of medical doctors and other staff in the health sector – Longer course, 2-week programme and Refreshers’ course for shorter duration
11. Upgrade and revise training resource materials.