Plans to expand methadone program announced

12/4/97

Up to 50 general practitioners and 150 community pharmacists will be recruited and trained under State Government plans to expand the State's methadone program throughout Western Australia.

Health Minister Kevin Prince announced today that the first-stage of the $500,000 community methadone program - which aimed to maximise access by opiate dependent drug users to the methadone program - was already achieving promising results.

Sixteen general practitioners today started the State's second methadone management training course at St John of God Hospital in Murdoch.

Eleven general practitioners from the first training program held in March are about to start prescribing methadone.

"The community-based methadone program will utilise the skills of specially-trained general practitioners and community pharmacists and involve 1,000 patients in the methadone program over the next 18 months," Mr Prince said.

"After extensive training, the prescribers will then be able to prescribe methadone to patients under strict guidelines within their own communities."

About 1,000 patients are currently receiving methadone treatment in Western Australia and another 200 people are awaiting acceptance to the program.

Mr Prince said the Government had recognised strong community demand for the program and was confident that the community-based project would redress the current eight-month waiting period for methadone assessment.

"Methadone has become increasingly recognised as the most viable treatment for opiate-dependent people," he said.

"Research also shows it has contributed to a reduction in criminal activity, intravenous drug use as well as greatly improved the health and social wellbeing of recipients.

"The expanded methadone program will maximise access to methadone treatment while maintaining central systems of monitoring control and quality assurance.

"Already in this State, 50 per cent of all methadone doses are dispensed through 130 community pharmacies."

To date, 30 general practitioners - of which 12 are rural-based - have been recruited by the Alcohol and Drug Authority to participate in the expanded program.

Eleven doctors who completed the first course earlier this year and have passed the prescriber exam will start managing patients this month and those currently undergoing training will do so in May.

A Methadone Review Committee - which includes representatives from the Australian Medical Association, Royal Australia College of General Practitioners, the Health Department and Pharmacy Guild - has been established to assess the ongoing competence and clinical practice of individual prescribers.

Other strict measures controlling the community-based program include: 

·      a requirement for prescribers to obtain an individual authority from the Commissioner for Health to prescribe methadone for each new patient;

·      a stringent policy on takeaway doses;

·      regular monitoring of individual prescribers and patients;

·      a 50-patient limit per prescriber; and -

·      strict assessment and treatment criteria on patients commencing methadone treatment.

Media contact: Kirsten Stoney 221 1377