Government rehab centres fail to get patients

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 18

As the survey report by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment revealed the shocking state of drug abuse in the state and reaffirmed the state government’s complete failure in combating the menace, it also highlighted the gaps in the availability of treatment for addicts in the state. The report suggests that a shocking number of youth have fallen a prey to substance addiction and given the state of available rehabilitation and treatment centres available in the city itself, the tall claims of the government to counter the facts have failed to impress.

The two major government aided de-addiction centres, Swami Vivekanand Drug De-addiction Centre and the newly opened Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre that was touted as Punjab’s first de-addiction and rehabilitation centre, have failed to function to their full capacity due to lack of patients. Even six months after its inauguration, the 100-beded centre built at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore to provide a rehabilitation home for recovering addicts has eight to 12 patients on its best day.

With two counsellors, a team of 15 medical professionals between the two de-addiction centres, it just doesn’t seem to be enough given the enormity of the problem being tackled. “The young addicts are not keen to come to the rehabilitation centres, as there is lack of education and awareness about the problem. Though we treat an average of 500 patients every day at the OPD, only a few are admitted to the rehabilitation centre for further treatment, which at least takes three-six months depending on the patient,” said Dr PD Garg, head of the psychiatry department at Amritsar Medical College, who is the in charge of treatment of patients at the drug de-addiction centre while the DC is heading the Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Committee, responsible for managing the centre. The rehabilitation centre runs in association with the staff at Swami Vivekanand Drug De-addiction Centre, where the initial course of detoxification process is completed. Equipped with a vocational-activity centre, music room, volleyball and recreational facilities, the centre has failed to serve its purpose.

Another problem is that the treatment drug Buprenorphine, available at the state government’s oral substitution therapy (OST) centres, is replacing the substance addiction with prescription addiction. As the state government restricted its use for indoor patients only, Dr Garg says guidelines regarding its use should be formed in order to channelize its use for treatment and not as a replacement drug.