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would consider doing it”.
When asked what he thought needed to
happen to get his mates and other Victo-
rians who use opiates to do the training,
Dave said:
1.“I guess it would be good if, say,
people who were on pharmacotherapy had
the ability to find out about it [the
training] when they went to their
doctors to get their scripts. A lot of people
wouldn’t even know that it was around, so
it would be great if doctors talked about it”.
Editor’s Note: It also makes sense that pharmacotherapy
doctors at least offer a naloxone script as a general rule,
alongside a person’s methadone script.

2.“Reimbursement is always something
that gets people involved. If you pay users
to come to the training, it covers our
transport costs and you’re getting to hear
from us what’s going on, so it’s a good
thing for everyone”.

3.“I think probably easy access to the med-
ication – you know how she [Jane] got
the doctor to come along to the training
and write the scripts and then we got it
straight away”.
Editor’s Note: The training was done at Access Health so
the on-site doctor writes the scripts, which are filled and
given to the participants before the training is finished.

4.“Perhaps not requiring a script and
making it affordable would be a better way
to get the naloxone out there – $140-150
over the counter (without a prescription is
just not affordable*.
Hard core drug users are more likely to go
spend that kind of money on ice
rather than naloxone to try and wake them
up. That kind of amount isn’t an option
for people”.

5.“Everybody should be able to access the and a visit to the local chemist, health care card
training - nobody should be marginalised holders will pay about $6.20 for 5 mini-jets or
just because they don’t have money or live ampules; without a health care card the same
elsewhere in Victoria [and can’t get to the will cost about $38.00. Without a prescrip-
training]”. tion, over the counter naloxone costs a min-
imum of $100 (with or without a health care
6.It would be interesting to see what the card).
cost would be in relation to overdoses, Since this article was written the situ-
ambulance callouts and ambulance ation has changed dramatically and minijets
attendance, and all the bureaucracy of naloxone are no longer available in Aus-
involved, and then do a comparison on tralia and no longer on the PBS for people
how much it would be to fund HRVic to with a healthcare card. HRVic is now distrib-
simply go and deliver more training across uting and training workshop participants to
the State”. use ampoules of naloxone until a better alter-
native is developed.

*Editor’s Note: With a doctor’s script

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WHACK35_LYOT.indd 36 11-Oct-16 4:25:24 PM