Rehabilitation centre in Jalandhar now Covid care facility, addicts at receiving end

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 12

In order to tackle the pandemic, the authorities have converted a de-addiction centre to a Covid care centre in Jalandhar. As a result, rehabilitation of drug addicts has taken a back seat.

The de-addiction centre (25 rooms) had witnessed 603 indoor admissions between March and August in 2019, however, 164 patients have been admitted this year. In March 1,027 addicts visited the OPD, but the number reduced to 400 in August.

Despite representations from the de-addiction centre to Director Health Services, Mental Health Cell in-charge, Head of Department Psychiatry (Medical College, Amritsar), Civil Surgeon and Jalandhar Deputy Commssioner, nothing concrete has happened on the ground.

From March 24, de-addiction and psychiatry services are being offered to addicts from the Jalandhar Civil Hospital. From the 50 bed de-addiction centre, the bed capacity has been reduced to 12 and both men and women share bathrooms.

In February 1,163 and March 1,027 cases were reported at the OPD of the de-addiction centre, respectively. In April, 365 cases were reported, 421 in May, 476 in June, 422 in July and 400 in August. The staff has now started to send the patients to the OOAT clinics.

Jalandhar has the busiest de-addiction services in the state (7,734 OPD, IPD and rehab registrations at the de-addiction centre and 12,649 registrations at psychiatry OPD in 2019).

Dr Aman Sood, In-charge, Jalandhar De-addiction Centre, said, “The present facilities are compromised. Higher authorities have been briefed.”

Jalandhar Civil Surgeon Dr Gurinder Kaur Chawla said, “I haven’t received any information, but if there are any problems, we will definitely look into them.”

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