Shut down amid Covid, Chandigarh GMSH-16 de-addiction centre awaits revival

More than five years after it was shut down, the de-addiction centre at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, continues to lie dormant.

The UT Administration has once again expressed intent to make the centre functional but faces a big hurdle in getting the requisite number of psychiatrists to get the facility up and running.

The centre, equipped with 10 beds and basic infrastructure, was originally established over a decade ago to cater to the city’s rising addiction problem.

However, it was shut down after the outbreak of Covid-19 and converted into a dedicated care unit for the pandemic patients. Since then, there has been little to no movement on reviving its operations.

Director of Health Services, Dr Suman Singh, confirmed that a proposal seeking the appointment of two psychiatrists has been sent to the administration. At present, only two psychiatrists serve the entire government health network, already stretched thin managing routine psychiatric and addiction cases.

“A centre requiring 24x7 attention and multi-disciplinary support — including clinical psychologists — cannot be expected to function without a dedicated team,” she said.

In the meantime, PGIMER remains the region’s lone government-run lifeline for de-addiction. In 2023, PGI’s Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre saw more than 36,000 outpatient visits — with nearly two-thirds of those from outside Chandigarh — and admitted nearly 250 patients for inpatient treatment.

Other public hospitals, including GMCH-32 and GMSH-16, continue to offer limited psychiatric consultations but lack comprehensive addiction recovery services.

Healthcare professionals, meanwhile, warn that the vacuum is driving a large number of vulnerable patients toward unlicensed or poorly regulated private rehab centres, particularly in parts of Punjab.