Private centres to give free OPD facility to drug addicts

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 17

Heads of private de-addiction centres have announced to assist the Punjab Government's drug de-addiction drive. During a meeting held under the chairmanship of MP Ravneet Singh Bittu at Circuit House here on Tuesday, the heads of private de-addiction centres have announced free OPD facility, tests and counselling for drug addicts at their centres. Doctors and psychiatrists from the Health Department also attended this meeting.

Today's meeting was organised with the special initiative of MP Bittu.

There are a total of 28 drug de-addiction centres running in the district, out of which five are run by the government and 23 are privately run. Today's meeting was attended by heads of private de-addiction centres and psychiatrists.

Bittu said the Punjab Government had already broken the drug supply line in the state, and now the drug addicts wanted to shun drugs and lead a healthy life. He said if the drug addicts get good treatment at these centres, no one could stop our state from becoming drug free.

He said due to shortage of drug de-addiction centres as well as psychiatrists with the state government, the private-run drug de-addiction centres should assist the administration and the Punjab Government in this noble cause. He said the vacant "sarai" at the Civil Hospital here would be converted into a drug de-addiction centre by Saturday and 40 patients could be treated there. He said soon services of retired psychiatrists would also be taken by the Health Department for this purpose.

The heads of private drug de-addiction centres as well as the psychiatrists assured the MP that they would not only provide free OPD, tests and counselling to the drug addicts, but are also willing to assist the Health Department in the field as well. During the meeting, it was also decided that NGOs would provide free medicines to the needy patients. It was also clarified that the ban on selling syringes without prescription has been revoked.

The MP said it had been observed that several patients coming for treatment of drug addiction were suffering from AIDS and other such diseases, for which the treatment was totally free of cost at government hospitals. He said, "If any person comes to know about such patients, they should be referred to the government hospitals."

The meeting was also attended by MLA Sanjay Talwar, Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, MC councillor Mamta Ashu, Civil Surgeon Dr Parvinderpal Singh Sidhu, DCC (Rural) President Gurdev Singh Lapran, Dr Pammi Singh, Dr Rajiv Gupta, Dr AK Kala, Dr Jagjot Singh, besides others.