The authorities were alerted to the abuse of fentanyl-laced drugs (China white) after two dead bodies were found in vacant houses in Male' but the Maldives lacks the capacity to test for the synthetic opiate, Adhadhu has learned.
National Drug Agency (NDA) CEO Imad Solih told Adhadhu that testing to determine the use of the dangerous drugs will begin soon.
The use of China white in the Maldives came to the NDA's attention through the agency's clients a week ago, Imad told Adhadhu on Thursday. The agency has been working with the Home Ministry and other institutions to take action, he added.
The Home Ministry brought the matter to the public's attention in order to raise awareness due to issues of concern, he said.
"The use of this drug has come to our attention from clients whom we treat, especially from our clients when we provide methadone treatment," Imad said.
As the Maldives lacked the capacity to test for the drug, Imad said test kits would be brought to the country in the coming days, after which a study would assess the prevalence of the drug in the Maldives.
"We are preparing for the work of testing to directly learn the gravity of the matter at present. We will begin very soon with a good sample. Then we will know to say as a study the proportion of this type of drug. We will begin before too long. We need to get the kits and equipment needed for it to carry this out. We are going ahead with that," Imad said.
Dr. Mohamed Ali, an internal medicine doctor at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), said in a post on X that some patients hospitalized with infections have been admitting to using China white.
The damage caused by the drug will be seen in the coming days if urgent action is not taken, Dr. Mohamed Ali said.
The Home Ministry said on Thursday that the authorities have been taking action in light of the increased manufacture and global spread of China white.
China white is manufactured with powerful chemicals and could be life-threatening, the Home Ministry said.
Treatment for the abuse of synthetic drugs is not available in the Maldives so far. Persons who use such drugs are provided counselling in addition to psycho-social support through the rehabilitation system.
China white is a synthetic opiate and a copy of fentanyl with a high risk of overdose, Ali Adeeb, an addiction professional and recovery coach with 16 years of counter-narcotics experience, told Adhadhu.
"China white is 900 times more [powerful] than morphine. The scientific name for China white is alpha-Methylfentanyl. I don't know at all to estimate how much you overdose from this. It could happen regardless of how little you inject and we don't know how much would cause damage," Adeeb said.
Medicine such as buprenorphine and methadone are available in the Maldives to treat withdrawal from the drug, Adeeb noted.
Healthcare providers and police should also keep naloxone for emergency use, which is administered through the nose to reverse overdoses, he said.
"It is up to the system to prepare for consequences. China white looks similar to medicine. [Addicts] can be brought out of it with counselling and the approach needed for ethical matters," Adeeb said.
Sudden deaths have been rising in the Maldives recently with dead bodies found in the past two weeks. Police have yet to reveal much information about the cases.
