Pubdate: Tue, 05 Jun 2001 Source: Courier-Mail, The (Australia) Copyright: 2001 News Limited Contact: http://www.thecouriermail.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/98 Authors: Catriona Mathewson, Jacob Greber, Sean Parnell Bookmarks: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) PATIENT FILES SEIZED FROM CONTROVERSIAL HEROIN CLINIC CONFIDENTIAL patient files were seized from a Brisbane doctor yesterday as part of a Medical Board investigation into his use of naltrexone implants to treat heroin addicts. Distraught addicts and their parents rallied outside Dr Stuart Reece's Highgate Hill practice as the Medical Board staff removed 16 boxes of patient files. Files of patients with surnames A to E were removed, to be returned today when Medical Board staff plan to remove another batch. Medical Board president Lloyd Toft said the investigation would look at the number of addicts who had died while undergoing Dr Reece's detoxification treatment, and the steps Dr Reece took to obtain and prescribe naltrexone. Dr Reece is able to continue treating patients while under investigation, but has been banned from using the naltrexone implants, which have not been approved for human use. Health Minister Wendy Edmond, who initiated the investigation, would not comment yesterday, but the Opposition described the raid as a "heavy-handed, jack-boot" way of investigating Dr Reece. Opposition Leader Mike Horan said Queensland Health had "lost control of this situation" and he was concerned by the confiscation of medical files unrelated to naltrexone treatment. Several patients yesterday vowed to complain to the Privacy Commissioner about the removal of files, but Dr Toft said confidentiality would be "scrupulously protected". Dr Toft said Dr Reece could request any files needed to immediately treat a patient, and would be notified if any file was to be copied. Premier Peter Beattie defended the Medical Board and supported its decision to act, saying "there has been a great deal of disquiet about the use of naltrexone". "The Medical Board's role is to protect lives," Mr Beattie said. Concern over the practice has escalated since it was revealed there had been at least 24 deaths among 850 patients Dr Reece had treated with naltrexone since July 1998. Naltrexone is a prescription drug which blocks the effect of heroin on the body and is approved for use in Australia in tablet form, which Dr Reece may still prescribe. However, doctors feared unreliable doses of naltrexone released from the implants might leave patients more susceptible to an overdose than addicts not receiving any treatment. Dr Reece would not comment yesterday, but parents of his patients accused the Government of conducting a vendetta. Chris Caine, whose 31-year-old son takes naltrexone tablets, said Dr Reece was saving lives, not killing people. "Why don't they look at the ones who haven't died because they're being treated by Dr Reece?" Mr Caine said. Other parents spoke of travelling to Perth where the man who developed the naltrexone implants, Dr George O'Neil, was still willing to fit them despite losing the support of WA researchers. About 160 patients have been treated in a series of government-funded trials of naltrexone at the Royal Brisbane and Greenslopes Private Hospitals. The results of the trials, and those of other trials interstate, will be released next month. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake