HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Sept 10: Additional secretary and director general of MoHFW, V Hekali Zhimomi, inaugurated the two-day ‘National Consultation on Health Interventions for Substance Use Disorders’ in Guwahati.
In her inaugural address, V Hekali Zhimomi, AS & DG, MoHFW, highlighted that substance use is a serious public health concern, adversely affecting the physical and mental health, socio-economic well-being, and productivity of the country. She remarked on the rising trend of substance use, with newer pockets of high vulnerability, particularly in the north-eastern, northern, and central parts of the country. She reiterated the need for a comprehensive response from the health system in collaboration with other key ministries and stakeholders.
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The national consultation brought together more than 75 participants, including various government agencies and global and national technical experts. Commissioner & secretary, Medical Education & Research Department, Siddharth Singh; mission director, National Health Mission, S Lakshmanan; and Sudhanshu Kumar Singh, zonal director, Narcotics Control Bureau, graced the occasion along with country heads of UNODC, UNAIDS, and representatives of WHO, as well as state government representatives from over 15 states.
Senior officials from the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP), National AIDS Control Program (NACP), National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP), National Mental Health Program (NMHP), National Program on Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), Heads of the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) AIIMS, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), senior psychiatrists, representatives from civil society organisations, and community members also attended.
During the two-day event, experts deliberated on global trends in substance use disorders, current global policies, strategies, models, and best practices for providing comprehensive health interventions for substance use disorders. The consultation concluded with a call to action to develop a clear strategic direction and evolve a framework to address the health needs of people who use drugs and strengthen the national response for health interventions to address substance use disorders and related comorbidities in coordination with all key stakeholders.
The event was hosted by the Assam State AIDS Control Society, led by Dr Indranoshee Das, project director.
