Study finds addicts in Nurpur area suffering from infectious diseases
Rajiv Mahajan
Nurpur, November 10
Drug addicts in the Nurpur area have been found suffering from serious infectious diseases and this has set the alarm bells ringing in this inter-state subdivisional area. In a study conducted by the Health Department, 108 of 109 addicts were found suffering from diseases like HIV (34 per cent), hepatitis C (87 per cent) and hepatitis B (9 per cent).
The study was conducted under ‘Saarthi’. Under this scheme, a database of drug addicts has been prepared through contact tracing and they are provided treatment and counselling free of cost. People are also being sensitised against negative effects of chitta consumption.
Launched by the Nurpur district police four months ago, the main aim of the study was to save youth from drug abuse and bring them back into society’s mainstream.
Neerja Gupta, Medical Superintendent of the Nurpur Civil Hospital, after convening a review meeting of Saarthi here recently, said on Monday that after the diagnosis, these drug users were being treated at Tanda Medical College, Kangra. She said most of these patients were in the age group of 18 to 30 years.
“The Nurpur Civil Hospital is providing counselling and free medical treatment to the drug addicts in the OPD from 2 pm to 4 pm on every Friday and Saturday besides attending such patients in emergency also,” she added. She said a helpline was also shortly being established for the treatment and rehabilitation of the drug users in the area.
Meanwhile, Nurpur SP Ashok Ratan said the police were doing their best to control the drug supply in the area by breaking the inter-state drug supply chain. “The Nurpur district police have registered 116 cases under the NDPS Act, seized around 4 kg chitta and attached property worth Rs 3 crore of drug smugglers during in the past 10 months,” he added.
Nurpur SDM Gursimar Singh said the local gram panchayats and youth clubs were being roped in for making the ‘Saarthi’ scheme a success and a special weeklong workshop for 30 drug addicts, who were keen on giving up drugs and intoxicants, was being organised at Kathgarh in Indora subdivision on November 16 in collaboration with the Art of Living.
