Drug addiction persists amid govt campaign

Even as the government initiated ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, a war against drugs nearly two months ago, it has failed to break the supply chain, as is evident from the low number of addicts seeking treatment at hospitals. During a recent visit to the city, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh claimed that the government has augmented de-addiction facilities in the district, citing a significant increase in the number of addicts seeking treatment.

However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. A resident of the rural border belt, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “It takes more time to buy groceries from a shop, but drugs can be procured within no time.” The resident added that apart from smack and misused medicines, a large number of youth are also using ‘bhang’ from cannabis plant.

Another resident said, “First choice for addicts still remains smack. It costs nearly Rs 200 a dose. If the addict is unable to get it, next comes a variety of medicines which are available with chemists or peddlers.” He added that in case, an addicts fails to get any of these, ‘bhang’ is grown in abundance on roadsides and vacant areas.

The rural residents claimed that the government campaign has not brought any change on the ground. They stated that drugs are freely available and it seems that the government needs to change its strategy.

The Health Minister had claimed that the number of beds for de-addicts in the district has been increased to 700. However, the Swami Vivekananda Drug De-Addiction Centre at Government Medical College is the only government facility providing de-addiction treatment, with 100 beds, up from 50. At present, 70 addicts are undergoing treatment.

Another public sector facility is the Government Rehabilitation Centre where patients are shifted for learning rehabilitation skills after they have completed the de-addiction course. The centre currently have 35 inmates.

According to the Health Department’s official figures, nearly 23,000 addicts are registered at Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres in the district, where patients receive medicines in OPD daily.

When asked about facilities for admitting drug addicts, Deputy Medical Commissioner Dr Gurmeet Kaur mentioned the Swami Vivekananda centre and Sri Guru Ram Das hospital, noting that the latter is a non-government institution run by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The discrepancy between the government’s claims and the actual facilities raises concerns about the effectiveness of the initiative.

The Deputy Medical Commissioner stated that Sri Guru Ram Das hospital is a large facility where number of beds can be increased within a short period of time. She added that the government has also issued a helpline number which people can use to seek treatment. Dr Gurmeet Kaur added that no patient turning up for de-addiction treatment is ever refused and all are accommodated.

Amritsar