Licence of 2 rehab centres suspended in Ferozepur and Fazilka districts

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, April 10

In a crackdown on illegal activities at de-addiction centres, the Punjab Government has suspended the licences of two centres in Ferozepur and Fazilka districts after a surprise inspection.

More inspections in coming days

Licences of two centres have been suspended. Such discreet inspections will be carried out in other centres as well in coming days. Dr Vijay Singla, Health Minister

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Sources said in an effort to curb illegal activities at such centres, teams of the Health Department conducted surprise checks at the two facilities — Rehmat Hospital, Jalalabad, Fazilka, and Ek Jot Psychiatric and De-addiction Hospital, Makhu, Ferozepur — over the past two days.

As per reports submitted to the Director Health Services, during inspection at the Jalalabad hospital, the team found 20 tablets of psychotropic drug buprenorphine on a patient, who was not in the hospital records. Besides, the team also found out that patients’ IDs were not being verified before dispensing medicines and anybody on behalf of the patients could collect these.

The report stated the OPD services were being rendered not by a doctor but by “other staff” of the hospital. When the team enquired from the doctor, he claimed to have examined 10 patients, while the hospital record suggested 87 patients had been given the medication.

Doctors were also found absent and psychotropic medicines (which can lead to addiction) being dispensed without the prescription. Besides, discrepancies in staff, infrastructure and record of medicines were also found.

Similarly, during inspection at the Ferozepur hospital, it was found that the OPD was operational despite doctor’s absence. As per the report, when the inspection team contacted the incharge, Dr Abhinesh Anand, on the phone, he claimed he was currently working in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. His services were being “rendered” by other staff, the report noted. The team also found various other irregularities in terms of staff and infrastructure.

Dr Vijay Singla, Minister for Health, Medical Education and Research, said after the preliminary report, the licences of both centres had been suspended. “In the coming days, such discreet inspections will be carried out in other centres as well,” he said.

Key discrepancies found during raid

• Buprenorphine pills given to patient not in hospital record
• Patients’ IDs not verified before dispensing medicines
• OPD services being rendered by staff other than doctors
• Psychotropic medicines dispensed without prescription