Lack of drug de-addiction centres hinders ‘Saarthi’ scheme in Nurpur

The lack of drug de-addiction centres is hindering the successful implementation of the ‘Saarthi’ scheme launched in Nurpur subdivision as a pilot project to check the drug menace and sensitise people about the ill-effects of narcotics.

The police, Health Department and the local administration had earlier launched it jointly in July, 2023, with active community participation.

Initially, the initiative was started in the region aggressively with an extensive contact-tracing exercise by the police but with the passage of time, it slowed down in the absence of well-equipped drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres. The initiative could not fetch the desired results in bringing addicts into the mainstream.

This campaign was launched after two drug addicts died in the region and their postmortem reports revealed that they were suffering from HIV and Hepatitis-C, the diseases commonly linked to needle sharing among addicts who inject drugs.

The Health Department collected data, which exposed the deep reach of synthetic drugs, especially heroin (chitta), in this interstate border area. This exercise revealed a disturbing pattern as many infected youths aged between 18 to 35 years were infected with dreaded diseases after sharing a contaminated needle to take drugs.

After pressure was mounted on interstate and local drug peddlers, the availability of heroin reduced but its price skyrocketed. Drug addicts, who were using ‘chitta’ by inhaling it after placing it on an aluminum foil, are now injecting it, leading to serious medical complications. Under the new initiative, the police worked first on tracing the contacts of drug peddlers and addicts. After drug addicts suffering from HIV and Hepatitis-C infection were detected, their timely treatment was started at the Nurpur Civil Hospital and the Tanda medical college, Kangra.

Under the ‘Saarthi’ scheme, an Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST) centre was established at the Nurpur Civil Hospital offering a medically-supervised therapy to assist the transition of addicts away from synthetic drugs and kick-start a structured path to their de-addiction. To strengthen these efforts, the Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society recently deployed NGO Manav Sewa Trust at Nurpur to give a boost to the ‘Saarthi’ campaign. The organisation is now working closely with at-risk youths, curbing needle sharing and ensuring their access to life-saving medication.

To bring young drug addicts into the mainstream, there is an urgent need of well-equipped drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in Nurpur. Successive state governments had laid emphasis on the problem. Dr Sumit Singh, a psychiatrist, who is also working to sensitise youths about the ill-effects of synthetic drugs in neighbouring Pathankot district, says that such a rehabilitation facility will provide a safe, trusted and stigma-free environment where parents can come forward without hesitation and seek treatment for their children.

“For a border area like Nurpur, the availability of a dedicated deaddiction centre is not only desirable but also essential for early intervention, structured rehabilitation and long-term recovery,” he added.

Local medical professionals have underlined the need for unified efforts to tackle the drug menace and save the young generation from drug abuse. They also suggested the establishment of an OST centre in every civil hospital of the state. “Wider access to counselling, safe and supervised treatment of addicts can prevent life-threatening infections and reduce the long-term effects of synthetic drug use. The police arresting young addicts, who have unfortunately fallen prey to drug peddlers, will not serve the objective of the state government’s recent anti-chitta drive unless there is a strategy to bring these youths into the mainstream,” they added.