Year-long wait for addicts to access methadone treatment

HEROIN addicts in the north-east are waiting more than a year to get on a methadone programme, figures from the Health Service Executive have shown.

There are about 430 people nationwide waiting to for methadone treatment, with some areas reporting a backlog which means addicts must wait several months before they can access the heroin substitute.

In Athlone and Portlaoise, more than 100 addicts are waiting up to seven months for methadone, while in Drogheda 15 people have been on a waiting list for 15 months. In Waterford more than 40 people have been waiting for about two years.