Frances Fitzgerald
Question:70 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health the progress, if any, made to date on the implementation of the Protocol on methadone maintenance. [14777/96]
Written Answers. - Methadone Maintenance Protocol.
Limerick East): The report of the expert group on a Protocol for the prescribing of methadone set out recommendations for the involvement of general practitioners in methadone maintenance programmes. The Protocol recommended that general practitioners should become involved by taking on responsibility for the care of drug misusers who had first been stabilised at community drug treatment centres. It also outlined the criteria necessary to ensure that methadone prescribing occurs in a controlled, responsible fashion.
Many elements of the Protocol have already been implemented. Most notably, a central treatment list of all patients being prescribed methadone has been established. A general practitioner who is considering prescribing methadone for a patient can check whether the patient's name is on this treatment list and thus ensure that the patient does not receive methadone from more than one source.
A methadone maintenance project involving GPs and pharmacists commenced recently. This involves a selected number of patients who have been stabilised in drug treatment centres and who are being referred to general practitioners for continuation of methadone maintenance treatment and overall medical care. The elements which are included in this pilot programme are: drug misusers, who are referred to general practitioners, will have been previously stabilised in a health board treatment clinic; each patient is provided with a personalised treatment card; a facilitator, appointed by the Eastern Health Board, is providing liaison between treatment centres, general practitioners and pharmacies and any drug misuser who becomes destabilised while under general practitioner care will be referred back to a treatment centre for attention and further treatment.
At present, there are 30 doctors prescribing to 71 patients with treatment cards who are being dispensed methadone from 21 pharmacists.
The programme will run initially for a six month period and it is hoped that, with the support of the appropriate professional organisations, general practitioners and pharmacists will continue to be part of the overall programme for the provision of treatment services for stabilised drug misusers in their own communities.
In addition to the pilot project over 700 drug misusers are prescribed methadone in treatment centres at Pearse Street, Baggot Street, Amiens Street and Ballyfermot. There are also over 690 patients being prescribed methadone by 25 general practitioners in the community.
Another element of the board's methadone treatment programme includes the introduction of a mobile clinic. Plans are at an advanced stage and it is hoped the service will be operational later this year.
The board is endeavouring to expand treatment services to drug misusers who are on waiting lists for such treatment. The number of additional persons for whom treatment will be provided will depend on the success of the Eastern Health Board in establishing further community drug centres in local areas and also on the number of additional general practitioners and pharmacists who are prepared to prescribe and dispense methadone respectively to stabilised drug misusers.