The first methadone production line will be launched by two privately-run pharmaceutical companies in the year ending March 21, deputy health minister for food and drugs said.
The companies have already managed to synthesize primary substances needed for producing methadone, Rasoul Dinarvand told Fars news agency.
He stated that treatment of addiction by methadone is a globally-accepted and effective method.
The country spends about $1 million each year on the import of the long-acting synthetic painkiller that mimics the effects of heroin, but is less addictive, he noted.
The official added that the country needs four to five times more than the amount currently imported.
Dinarvand expressed hope that once the production line goes on stream, the domestically-manufactured drug would meet the total demand.
He further noted that the use of methadone-based treatment for addicts is highly recommended by the ministry.

Commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police from across the country gathered in Tehran on July 24 to assess domestic security challenges.
Speaking at the gathering, IRIP Commander Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam described the core objectives of the police as promoting a feeling of security among citizens, reducing crime, improving public abidance by the law as well as bringing down the number of traffic mishaps.
The commander was quoted by ILNA as saying that an improvement of public security and social order, campaign against narcotics as well as providing the public with fast and efficient police services also top IRIP agenda.
Highlighting the role of provincial commanders in safeguarding local security, Ahmadi Moqaddam stressed that precautionary measures provide the best way and means of managing crises.
He called on the commanders to conduct a thorough assessment of conditions prior to making any decisions and consider the multidimensional impacts of their security decisions.
The official observed that getting through the current socioeconomic conditions requires more attention from the officialdom.
Ahmadi Moqaddam stressed that the Islamic Republic enemies intend to weaken the society’s moral foundations by driving the people toward drugs and alcoholic drinks.
The official noted that public security indices had increased to 67 percent in the current year (started in late March) from 62 percent last year.
Ahmadi Moqaddam further said that public satisfaction with police performance had improved during March 21-June 21 in comparison with the same period of last year.
The citizens are more concerned about the security of their female dependents in the society, he observed.

Fixed speed cameras will be installed along Tehran-Qom and Karaj-Qazvin highways by March 2007, ISNA wrote.
Abbas Mahmoudabadi, deputy head of the Office for Traffic Safety added that “managing speed on our roads is a priority of the Road Maintenance and Transport Organization this year. The cams are needed to insure road safety throughout the country.“
The cameras, he explained, can also be moved by the police.
He said 50 mobile speed cameras will be installed on highway patrol vehicles.
Elaborating on the functioning of the cameras, the official said, “In the first stage, the system records the information pertaining to over-speed vehicles off-line. The picture and license plate number of the vehicle is recorded and a speeding ticket issued,“ he said.
In the second stage, he added, speed control systems on both ends of the road are connected and the data is transmitted. “Further up the road, the police pulls over the high-speed car and hands the ticket to the driver. In cases where it is not possible to stop the speeding car, the ticket shall be sent to the driver’s address,“ he added.
Mahmoudabadi further said studies are underway to install speed cameras in locations where the cars usually move at a high speed, he said, adding the plan will be executed next year (to start March 21).
He said 15 children’s traffic parks will be established throughout the country in cooperation with the municipalities this year.
“There are already 15 traffic parks where children become aware of traffic and safety rules,“ he said.

There are 2,200 ambulances available in the medical emergency fleet.

About 292,874 medical emergency assignments have been carried out by the personnel of the Medical Emergency Organization in the first quarter of this year (started March 21), indicating a 30-percent growth compared to the corresponding period of last year.
Head of the Health Ministry’s Medical Emergency and Natural Disasters Center told IRNA, “About 154,840 people have been transferred by ambulances and hospitalized, while 95,300 people have received outpatient treatment.“
Farzad Panahi said Tehran Medical Emergency Department with 64,684 assignments ranked first during the mentioned period, adding an average 3,000 assignments are handled by the emergency personnel on a daily basis nationwide.
According to him, presently there are 570 roadside medical emergency stations and 507 urban ones across the country which enjoy the services of 7,000 medical staff including physicians, nurses, operating theater and anesthetic technicians, first aid officers as well as rescue workers.
Panahi, who also chairs Medical Emergency Organization, put the number of ambulances available in the medical emergency fleet at 2,200, adding half of them are dilapidated and need to be gradually phased out.
Stressing that the emergency personnel provide 42 percent of pre-hospital medical care in case of driving accidents, he said adding a greater portion of emergency operations are conduced in Tehran.

About 85 governmental counseling centers are currently active nationally.

Director general of State Welfare Organization’s Office for Counseling and Psychological Services unveiled that the Plan on Management of Mental Health in Crises will be codified.
Minou Rafiei said the first gathering of psychologists and counselors, who have the experience of working in the quake-stricken city of Bam, would be held, adding participants would share their experiences obtained from offering counseling services to survivors of the 6.3-richter seismic tremor.
According to ISNA, the official added that those devising the plan would benefit from the experiences of participants in the Bam confab.
She stated that the hotline 148, launched in 1993 to provide the public with counseling services, is now active in 26 provinces.
Rafiei further put the number of calls placed to the hotline countrywide at 306,000 since March 21, adding 1,915 hours of counseling are offered to the public per day.
She noted that extending the service hours to the evening shift is impossible at present due to shortage of staff and funds.
The official appealed for more support for non-governmental and scientific institutions so that similar services could be offered by the private sector.
Recalling that 85 governmental counseling centers are currently active nationally, Rafiei noted that apart from rendering psychotherapy services, these clinics also arrange educational programs.
She said that presently 65,000 people benefit from the services rendered by these state-run centers, adding 100 counselors would start part-time cooperation with the hotline as of Sept. 6.
According to the official, permits have been issued for the establishment of 290 private counseling centers.
On why private counseling centers have not expanded yet, the official observed that due to the high prices of services offered in these clinics, they are mostly loss-making entities.
“Some 350 million rials have for the first time been set aside this year to pay for up to 70 percent of counseling fees for underprivileged people at private centers.“

Tehrani swimmer, Ali Shadlou, is to swim along 600 km of Caspian SeaÕs Iranian shores beginning Aug. 1. A member of Iran Red Crescent SocietyÕs Mountain Rescue and Relief Team and holder of a beach lifeguard certificate will take the initiative as a symbolic gesture to voice support for the anti-narcotics campaign. (IRNA Photo)

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests which shorten the time needed to diagnose hepatitis and AIDS viruses by one-third will be launched in some blood transfusion centers this year.
Head of Blood Transfusion Organization also added, “Preliminary studies for launching the test are underway in Tehran Blood Transfusion Center. In case the studies are completed successfully, the test will be conducted on other provincial centers as well.“
Hassan Abolqasemi said the PCR test allows more rapid diagnosis of diseases.
Blood products are not available for use until they have been thoroughly tested at least twice to check for the existence of AIDS, hepatitis B and C and Syphilis viruses. If contamination is suspected, the products are discarded.

There has been a 20 percent increase in recorded incidents of domestic violence in Jordan in 2005 over the previous year, said a senior official, IRIN reported.
Fadel Hmoud, head of the Family Protection Unit at the Public Security Department, said more than 1,800 cases of such incidents were recorded last year.
“Poverty, unemployment and lack of education provide fertile grounds for attacks and abuse of women and children,“ said Hmoud, adding that many attacks, particularly sexual, were committed in poor areas by strangers, rather than family members.
He noted that victims usually “do not come forward because they do not want to bring disgrace to their family“.
With this regard, UN officials say times are changing, so this increase in recorded cases does not necessarily reflect a rise in domestic violence. “Over the past few years, Jordanians have become more aware of their rights thanks to ongoing awareness campaigns by the government and civil society activists throughout the country,“ says Maha Hemsi, project officer in Early Childhood and Child Protection programs at UNICEF.
“The Family Protection Unit was established in Amman in 2003 and has achieved great success because it has gained people’s trust,“ she says. “Now, it is expanding rapidly by opening branches in different parts of the country.“
Hemsi adds that her organization provides financial and technical support to the project.
More than 95 percent of the recorded abuse cases were committed by strangers, out of which 65 percent were referred to courts, said Hmoud. But court hearings rarely translate into appropriate penalties. “The Penal Code is excellent,“ says Hannan Al Thaher, a legal researcher in the policy and planning unit at the National Council for Family Affairs. “It provides protection to children. The problem lies in its application.“
Al Thaher believes judges should be “more sensitive“ to child abuse and rape cases by imposing the maximum punishment--execution, in child rape cases--on those who commit such crimes. “If the father of an abused child forfeits his legal rights, the criminal gets the minimum sentence,“ says Al Thaher. “That must be stopped because children are the ones who end up suffering for the rest of their lives.“

South Africa’s health department said a new report showed that the prevalence of HIV had increased marginally between 2004 and 2005 meaning the infection rate was stable, AFP wrote.
The report said a survey conducted during October 2005 showed that HIV infection rates were at a “similar level“ to those of 2004: 30.2 percent versus 29.5 percent.
“The estimate shows that HIV prevalence rates for 2004 and 2005 are very similar. The prevalence profile continues to confirm the expectation and projections of numerous groups whose models suggest that South Africa will begin to see a decline in the prevalence profile,“ the health department said in a statement.
Age estimates showed that the 20 to early 30 year age group continued to have the highest infection rates.
The rate of HIV prevalence amongst teenagers was “at a similar level“ in 2005 (15.9 percent) as it was in 2004 (16.1 percent).
With respect to population projections, it is estimated that 18.8 percent of persons in the 15-49 year age group were infected with HIV.
“This is an estimated 4.9 million people who are in the age group 15 to 49 years. There is an estimated 235,060 children who are 14 years and younger living with HIV. The total population living with HIV is estimated at 5.54 million,“ the department said.
The inferences were drawn from the survey of 16,510 pregnant women at 399 state clinics and applied to the general population using a United Nations AIDS agency/World Health Organization model. The full report, named The Report on the National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Sero-prevalence Survey in South Africa for 2005 was available on the department’s website.
South Africa is often described as a country with one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world.