Drug addicts are patients, not criminal: Badal

Ferozepur, July 6, 2014: Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab visited Ferozepur today at “Baghban”, the proposed site for the Rehabilitation Centre in Ferozepur and addressed the media persons here.
The Chief Minister also visited Civil Hospital, Ferozepur for some while and met few of the patients who were admitted there. The Chief Minister said on this occasion that drug-addiction should be considered as a mental disease and addicted person should be treated like a patient, rather a criminal.
He also said that the state government shall construct de-addiction societies in each district which shall be governed by a committee comprising eminent doctors, psychologist, psychiatrists, police officials and social workers. The state government shall provide the monetary help to those societies and there will be no political interference in their working.
He said that the state government is constructing de-addiction centers at cities such as Amritsar, Bathinda, Patiala and Faridkot. He said that the existed de-addiction centers shall be upgraded and the requisite staff shall be deputed in those centers.
Admitting the fact, the Chief Minister said there is acute dearth of psychiatrists in the state but the government shall leave no stone unturned for appointment of required staff at de-addiction centers. He said that the government shall involve Health Ministry for the direct recruitment of psychiatrists in the centers.’
When asked about the working of Private de-addiction centers, Badal said that those centers who are doing good job for the patients will be appreciated but those who have converted the de-addiction in to a business, shall not spared and a stern action shall be taken against them.
The Chief Minister open heartily admitted that the lack of Administrative Officers is marring Ferozepur’s development but he blamed lack of availability of PCS officers for the same. He also said that the pending major projects of Government College and PGI Satellite Centre shall be completed soon.
Kamal Sharma, President, BJP, Punjab, Sher Singh Ghubaya, Member of Parliament, Ferozepur, Joginder Singh Jindu, MLA, Ferozepur (Rural), Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Ex-MLA, Ferozepur, V K Sharma, Commissioner, Ferozepur Division, DPS, Kharbanda, Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur, Vinni Mahajan, Chief Secretary (Health), Dr. Avashthi, De-addiction specialist from PGI, Y K Gupta, Civil Surgeon, Ferozepur, Ashok Behal, Secretary, Red Cross, Ferozepur also accompanied the Chief Minister on this occasion.