Huge rise in waiting lists for drug clinics

WAITING lists for drug treatment clinics across the south east have risen to record levels, a new report shows.

The two drug treatment clinics in the region, one in Carlow and the other in Waterford, are acknowledged as particularly essential for clients who are addicted to opiates.

Yet figures from the ‘Drugs Misuse 2005’ report show that the waiting list for the Carlow clinic has doubled over the past year. And the numbers waiting for Waterford have reached a record level.

Regional drugs co-ordinator for the HSE South Region, Tony Barden, says while the agency is doing what it can, the problem is growing much faster than the services provided.

“We are doing as much as we can. We have put in a whole new range of services and are getting money from the task forces etc. The problem is that we are living in an affluent society and our attachment to the east coast, where drugs are a real problem, makes drugs more of an issue here,” he said.

Data contained in the Drugs Misuse Report 2005 shows that 71 clients were treated in clinics in Waterford and Carlow that year. Of these, 16 were new referrals, 10 were assessed and 45 were continuous care cases. Of the 10 who were assessed, three were referred elsewhere for treatment and 7 did not accept treatment.

The number of new referrals is down from 28 in 2004 to 16 in 2005. The author of the report, Martina Kidd, said this may be due to the increase in the numbers on the waiting list for both clinics last year.

“At the end of 2004, there were 16 clients on a waiting list for the Carlow clinic and one for the Waterford clinic. At the end of 2005, there were 30 on a waiting for the Carlow clinic, nearly double the number for 2004.

“There were 7 on the waiting list for the Waterford clinic, which was again a large increase compared to 1 in 2004.”

Of those to attend the Carlow clinic, 71% were male. Of those attending in Waterford, 79% were male. Most in Carlow were in the 25 to 29 age group while most in Waterford were in the same age bracket.

Most in Carlow had only done a Junior Certificate while in Waterford, most had only completed primary school.

Both in Carlow and Waterford, most clients had used drugs first between the ages of 14 and 17 years and most of these had started off on cannabis.

The majority of clients attending both clinics, almost 74%, had injected over their lifetime.

Most in Waterford had injected themselves first between the ages of 18 and 19, while in Carlow, they first began to inject at 20 to 24 years of age.