50 bedded drug de-addiction centers to be soon operational at Jalandhar and Bathinda

Chandigarh, June 17, 2014: In a bid to enable the drug addicts to lead a normal life with self respect and dignity, two 50 bedded drug de-addiction centers at Jalandhar and Bathinda, well equipped with the state-of-art facilities, would be made operational by December 31, 2014 for the detoxification of drug addicts.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal while presiding over a meeting of the Punjab State Cancer and Drug Addiction (CADA) Treatment Infra Structure Board here today at Chief Minister’s Office.

It was also decided in the meeting that another two 50 bedded Drug de-addiction center at Patiala and Baba Farid University campus would be constructed soon to provide the drug de-addiction treatment to the more drug addicts. Likewise, in order to rehabilitate the drug addicts to lead a normal life, the state government in addition to the existing Drug de-addiction centre’s (DDC) network having the capacity of 600 beds, would also set up 22 special rehabilitation centers, each one in every district, where the patients would be admitted after proper detoxification in the DDCs. Underscoring the need for strengthening the infra structure in the hospitals to give relief to the drug addicts across the state, the Chief Minister also asked the Health department to chalk out a strategy for identifying the regularly vacant beds in government Hospitals so that they could be aptly utilized for drug addiction centers by restructuring them.

The Chief Minister also asked the Health department to work out a strategy to provide medicines to the eight DDCs run in the various jails at Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur, through the Health department instead of the present practice of direct purchase by Jail authorities.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) Hussan Lal apprised the Chief Minister that 10 bedded drug de-addiction centers have been constructed by the PHSC with a total outlay of Rs 27 crore at Phagwara, Jagroan, Batala, Balachaur, Dasuya, Sri Anandpur Sahib, Rajpura, Barnala, Abohar, Patti, Malerkotla, Khanna, Narot Jaimal Singh, Hoshiarpur, Saila Khurd, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Barnala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka and Ropar. Out of these 18 drug de-addiction centers were fully functional and the remaining six would be made operational soon. Likewise, three more drug de-addiction centers would be constructed soon at Nurmahal, Samrala and Badal at a cost of Rs 3 crore.

Emphasizing the need to strengthen Cancer treatment Hospital network for eradication of Cancer, Badal approved Rs 30.50 crore for Cancer Treatment Block in Faridkot Medical College besides Rs 15 crore as its annual maintenance charges for the upcoming Cancer treatment center at Bathinda being constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, in addition to the already existing strong network of the Cancer treatment in the state. It was also informed in the meeting that for the TMC Cancer Radiation Therapy centre at Sangrur Civil hospital, the entire infra structure was being provided by the state government whereas all the equipments would be installed by the TMC. It was also decided in the meeting that a separate Cancer block would be set in the Faridkot hospital at a cost of Rs 30.50 crore.

The Chief Minister also asked the authorities to launch a vigorous mass awareness campaign to sensitize the youth in order to wean them away from drug addiction by engaging the services of experts and eminent psychiatrists to educate the drug addicts about the ill effects of drug addiction. During the deliberations Professor & Head psychiatry Department PGIMER Dr. Ajit Awasthi gave a power point presentation to the Chief Minister apprising him about the effective steps being taken by the state government to tackle the menace of Drug addiction in the state. After the presentation, the Chief Minister laid stress on the need to recruit more Physiatrists as well as the psycho therapy counsellors and psycho social workers for effective rehabilitation plan of the drug addicts. For the strengthening of Human Resource in this sector, the Chief Minister asked the Health and Medical Education departments to start new courses besides providing training to the existing staff for the success of this mission.

Prominent amongst those present in the meeting included Cabinet Ministers Anil Joshi, Surjit Kumar Jiyani, Sohan Singh Thandal and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health and Finance Vinnie Mahajan, Special Principal Secretaries to Chief Minister Gaggandip Singh Brar and KJS Cheema, MDPHSC Hussan Lal besides eminent medical luminaries Dr. KK Talwar, Dr. MK Mahajan and Dr Ajit Awasthi.