Srinagar: International Day against drug abuse and trafficking is celebrated every year on June 26 all over the world to reaffirm the global commitment to the long-cherished dream of a “Drug-Free World”. The theme of this year’s International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking is to share facts on drugs and save lives.
The Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences- GMC, Srinagar under the patronage of Prof. Samia Rashid conducted a one-day state medical council accredited webinar under the title “Addictive disorders in contemporary times- Biological view.” The whole idea of observing International Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking through online mode was to share facts and information in these COVID times which restricted our physical observance of this day.
In this webinar, eminent faculty from different prestigious institutions spoke on different topics revolving around the theme of drug abuse. This webinar evolved on overwhelming response across the platform. The webinar was attended by a good number of attendants.
In his inaugural address Prof. Muhammad Maqbool Dar, HOD, Department Psychiatry, GMC Srinagar welcomed the speakers as well as participants and also gave a brief presentation of the department. Prof. Vivek Benegal, an eminent faculty from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore spoke about “ADHD and Opioid Use Disorders: The connecting link”, this session was very informative and opened a new horizon of opioid use disorder and management. Prof. Atul Ambekar from National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi spoke in detail about “OST: Evidence for its effectiveness in opioid use disorders.”
Professor Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha from All India Institute of Medical Science, Deoghar spoke on the rampant use of tapentadol in the country and the challenges it brings to the community at large. Prof. Yasir Hassan Rather from the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences- Kashmir spoke about the alarming phenomenon of IV drug use in Kashmir and reiterated the need for addressing this menace right today before it gets really out of control. Dr Fazl-e- Roub from IMHANS- K spoke at length about the medical complications of opioid use disorders including the parallel epidemic of hepatitis C. Prof Mushtaq Margoob chairing a session discussed in detail about tackling the vulnerabilities in Kids to fight the problem of addiction. Dr Zaid A Wani and Dr Abdul Majid Chaired the sessions and stressed on the need to increase knowledge base in addiction.
In her closing remarks, Dr Yuman Kawoosa from the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences thanked all the faculty members and participants and reaffirmed the commitment of the Department of Psychiatry to help achieve accessible care for people with addiction problems .Dr Zaid A Wani stressed the need for intersectoral coordination and commitment for achieving this objective. While Dr. Abdul Majid HOD SKIMS also stressed the need for having more such informative programmes in future so that the same could be shared with the community at large and necessary steps could be taken well in time to catch hold of this growing.
