Chandigarh, August 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Bhagwant Mann government’s harm-reduction programme has emerged as a key component of Punjab’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign against substance abuse, with hundreds of centres providing treatment, counselling and support to people affected by substance use disorder.
According to the state government, 547 Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres run by the Health and Family Welfare Department and 47 Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centres operated by the Punjab State AIDS Control Society are currently providing treatment and harm-reduction services across the state. Targeted Intervention Services are also part of the programme.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the government’s approach focuses on treatment, empathy and helping people affected by addiction return to mainstream society.
“We must approach victims with empathy and give them treatment and skills for dignified reintegration,” Dr Balbir Singh said, stressing that stigma should not prevent people from seeking treatment.
The World Health Organization describes harm reduction as a range of interventions aimed at reducing the health and social consequences associated with drug use, including HIV transmission. Such interventions can also help prevent hepatitis B and C, reduce overdose deaths, lower criminality and address social exclusion when implemented at adequate scale.
Punjab’s largest harm-reduction intervention operates through more than 500 OOAT centres. Patients receive counselling and prescribed medication for opioid use disorder, with Buprenorphine (BPN) or a combination of BPN and Naloxone used as part of the treatment.
Patients generally visit OOAT centres daily for their prescribed doses. Those meeting specified criteria can also receive medicines for home use for a fixed period.
Dr Atul Ambekar, Professor at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS Delhi, described opioid substitution or opioid agonist treatment as the first-choice strategy for long-term treatment of opioid dependence.
He also said the perception that such treatment merely replaces one addiction with another was incorrect, explaining that medicines may need to be taken regularly for years or even lifelong for several health conditions.
The programme also educates people who use drugs about health risks and encourages them to seek treatment. For those who continue to inject drugs, health teams provide counselling on safer injection practices, including avoiding the reuse of syringes used by others to reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis transmission.
Punjab is also expanding methadone-based treatment as an alternative to Buprenorphine. Six dedicated methadone clinics are currently operational in Faridkot, Ludhiana, Patiala, Gurdaspur, Mohali and Jalandhar.
The state is establishing another six methadone maintenance treatment centres, which will take the total number of dedicated facilities to 12.
Dr Balbir Singh said methadone maintenance therapy, implemented in accordance with WHO and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines, provides another treatment option for people with long-term opioid dependence.
“The comprehensive approach would improve recovery outcomes and help patients successfully reintegrate with their families and society,” the minister said.
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