China bans a neurosurgical service on a clinical basis to treat drug addiction, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.
The surgical procedure helps drug addicts get rid of opiate dependence by destroying the pleasure centers of their brains. It is a new drug treatment method that wins high praise for its lower relapse rate after detoxification.
In the ban issued yesterday by the Ministry of Health, the national medical authority stated that the surgical procedure, still a scientific research program, can't be provided as a regular clinical service.
Renji Hospital and Huashan Hospital, the only two hospitals that conduct this operation in Shanghai, said yesterday that they were still providing the service, because they hadn't received the national ban notice as yet.
They will suspend the service on receiving the respective documents, but they will continue scientific research in this area even after the clinical suspension.
So far, 29 patients have undergone such operations at the two hospitals - four in Huashan and 25 in Renji.
Huashan introduced the service two months ago, according to Assistant Professor Wang Chen with the hospital's neurosorgery department. He said his hospital only conducts the operation for those who have been addicted for over four years and have failed to respond to other detoxification methods.  The patients must volunteer to undergo the operation. So far, the treatment seems effective, he added.
Renji will continue its research in surgical detoxification treatment, but it will be very cautious about it, according to Professor Xu Jiwen who belongs to the hospital's neurosorgery department. "We perform the operation only after notifying the operation's nature and its possible risks to patients and their families as well as obtaining the government approval," he said.