Punjab Records Supply of 43.44 Crore Buprenorphine Tablets Over Four-and-a-Half Years

Punjab has supplied 43.44 crore buprenorphine tablets over the past four-and-a-half years as part of drug de-addiction treatment. The medicine has been provided to lakhs of people undergoing treatment for drug dependence. A significant increase has also been recorded in the supply of these tablets to the state’s prisons. So far this year, the Punjab Health Systems Corporation has supplied 8.87 crore tablets to prisons, compared with 1.17 crore tablets supplied in 2022. A total of 40,830 prisoners have registered for treatment in prisons from 2022 onwards. The figures were shared by Bathinda Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagroop Singh Gill while presenting the 129th report of the Government Business Committee of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation for 2026-27. The data is part of the 122-page report tabled in the Punjab Legislative Assembly. Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the increase in the supply of tablets was linked to the establishment of treatment centres and Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics in prisons. He said doctors and psychologists have been appointed at these facilities to help people overcome drug dependence. Sports and skill-development centres have also been established to support those undergoing treatment. According to the report, the 13-member committee of legislators headed by Jagroop Singh Gill found that seven crore tablets were purchased in 2022, followed by 9.44 crore in 2023 and 10 crore in 2024. In 2025, 11 crore tablets were purchased, while six crore tablets have been purchased by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation so far this year. These tablets were supplied to Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment clinics. The report also highlights a rise in the number of patients receiving treatment at these clinics. The number increased from around two lakh in 2022 to 3.17 lakh at present. It further states that some people who had previously undergone treatment relapsed into drug dependence and were sent back for treatment. The number of people seeking treatment increased after the state government launched its ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ campaign. With the rising demand for treatment, the government increased the number of beds at treatment centres, where free treatment is provided, to 5,000. The report said the number of people seeking treatment and admission, which was earlier around 600, has now increased to 3,400.