Opioid task force continues to fight against addiction in 2022

The Opioid task force will continue its work in the new year, De Telegraaf reported. Their job is to inform healthcare providers, institutions and patients about opioid addiction and make sure pain medication is used appropriately. The task force consists of representatives of the associations of general practitioners, pharmacists, hospital pharmacists, anesthesiologists, addiction specialists and patients.

Created in 2019, the task force was only set to last three years. Yet, Health State Secretary Paul Blokhuis fears that the coronavirus crisis could increase opioid addiction.

Despite efforts to increase awareness about the addictive qualities of medication, such as oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine and buprenorphine, around a quarter of Dutch patients remain uninformed, according to a recent study by the Institue of Responsible Medication Use (IVM). Roughly 900,000 people in the Netherlands use the medication mentioned above and tramadol.

The task force wants to avoid an opioid crisis as has happened in the United States where many people fell victim to prescription medication addiction.