News

Rosanna Capolingua on ABC AM Program - methamphetamines

TONY EASTLEY: The Australian Medical Association wants a complete overhaul of the way methamphetamine users are treated in hospital emergency departments.

Doctors say methamphetamine users who present to emergency departments are placing increasing strain on staff, and in some cases putting peoples safety at risk.

The AMA wants the Federal and State Governments to consider funding further training for staff, and other proposals such as supervised hostels to deal with meth users.

The push has the support of nurses and drug users groups.

Michael Edwards has this report.

REPORTER: It's usually the staff at hospital emergency departments who feel the brunt of any trend in drug use. And in recent years, the increasing use of methamphetamines has made the situation worse than usual.

Doctors say there's almost an ever present personal risk from methamphetamine users who come into emergency departments suffering from psychotic episodes.

They say it's become such a problem that they're calling for an overhaul of how the health system deals with methamphetamine users.

Dr Rosanna Capolingua is the Federal President of the Australian Medical Association.

DR ROSANNA CAPOLINGUA: We're actually calling for an increase in awareness of amphetamine use and what it actually does to people; the serious effects of amphetamine use in our society; and indeed looking at ways of helping our emergency departments to deal with methamphetamine users who present to the EDs who are often violent and out of control.

REPORTER: Dr Capolingua says methamphetamine users not only pose a safety risk, but they also draw important resources away from other emergency department patients. She says in some cases it may take up to six staff to restrain and treat a user undergoing a psychotic episode, and that in some States, such as WA, as many as one in every hundred people who front to an emergency department are there because of methamphetamines.

DR ROSANNA CAPOLINGUA: We want to get the emergency departments to have drug liaison officers in them. We need to make sure the emergency departments are well staffed so they can cope with methamphetamine presentations, and we need to seriously consider how we can assist with supported detox programs - the detox is difficult.

REPORTER: Another proposal put forward by the AMA is supervised hostels where methamphetamine users could go to take the strain off emergency departments.

Gideon Warhaft from the New South Wales Users and Aids Association says medical staff in emergency departments are dealing with a very dangerous drug.

GIDEON WARHAFT: Often people have been awake for days on end. They're not rational. They're suffering paranoia, and, many of them will need long-term care afterwards.

TONY EASTLEY: Gideon Warhaft from the New South Wales Users and Aids Association, ending Michael Edwards report.

ENDS

Media Contacts

Federal 

 02 6270 5478
 0427 209 753
 media@ama.com.au

Follow the AMA

 @ama_media
 @amapresident
‌ @AustralianMedicalAssociation