THE DEPARTMENT of Health will review Victoria's methadone treatment program after a coroner's findings into the death of a Bendigo teenager labelled the policies shameful.
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The findings into the death of 16-year-old Helen Maree Stagoll called for a "robust rethinking" of the methadone treatment program.
The Health Department said they would look at the coroner's recommendations over the coming weeks.
A department spokesman said they were taking the obligations very seriously to respond to the matters raised.
Among the recommendations were for a review of the policy allowing "takeaway" methadone doses. Coroner Jacinta Heffey also called for better data collection measuring the number of patients and the number of methadone doses prescribed.
The findings noted Helen was not on the methadone program but was able to source the drug from others, which contributed to her fatal over-dose in 2010.
Helen was one of 63 people whose deaths were suspected to be linked to the treatment program in Victoria between 2010 and 2011.
Ms Heffey said the "takeaway" methadone doses had allowed easier access for unsupervised use of the drug.
The department has three months to formally respond to the coroner’s recommendations.
