Govt de-addiction centre at Bhuntar saviour for women

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, February 17

Himachal Pradesh’s first and only government-run de-addiction centre for women at Bhuntar in the district is helping hundreds of addicts to come out of the vicious cycle of drug addiction.

A national survey, conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi, in 2019, had revealed that about 16 crore persons in India consume alcohol while 3.1 crore consume cannabis products. Kullu, Shimla, Mandi and Chamba districts have witnessed a rise in the number of drug addiction cases, especially among the youth. Women, too, are not left untouched by the problem.

Launched by the Kullu Red Cross Society, the Integrated De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre was inaugurated on June 29 last year.

Dr Satyavrat Vaidya, who is posted at the centre, says, addicts are examined in the OPD from 10 am to 4 pm. After evaluating the symptoms, it is decided whether an addict is to be treated as an outpatient or admitted to the residential facility. They are given free medicines while addicts with severe symptoms are admitted.

The 15-bed centre offers free residential facility for one month. Inmates are usually admitted for 21 to 30 days and treated under the supervision of doctors and staff nurses. In case of any emergency, arrangements have also been made to refer them to an appropriate hospital.

As many as 123 women have been provided indoor treatment facility at the centre till January while over 180 addicts have availed treatment and consultation at the OPD, says Dr Vaidya.

The de-addiction centre also organises counselling sessions for addicts and their family members. Once an inmate is successful in quitting drugs, vocational training is arranged to facilitate them to earn their livelihood.

Needs, interests and abilities of every woman addict are identified and a rehabilitation plan is prepared accordingly. The centre also has a separate residential building for male drug addicts.

The identity of inmates admitted to the centre is kept confidential. Even after rehabilitation, the staff keeps in contact with their families to facilitate treatment and counselling in case of relapse. The team of the centre also visits educational institutions, panchayats and mahila mandals regularly to identify women addicts and motivate them to seek help.