Health and Family Welfare Minister Punjab, Brahm Mohindra today flagged off the 5 IEC Awareness Vans to make people aware about the de-addiction programme of state government. These hi-tech vans would provide complete information about the treatment facilities and ill-effects of habit making drugs and opiate products.Disclosing this here, Mr. Brahm Mohindra said that State Government has launched these 5 IEC Information, Education & Communication) Vans to sensitize people about the de-addiction programme as well as to motivate them to come forward to join anti drug-campaign of State Government. He said that we have designed the route map and all districts have been divided into five clusters.Mohindra said that each van will visit interior areas of each cluster, covering at least 30 stations (Villages and blocks) in a period of one month. He said this idea is to reach at the doorstep of users and make them aware about the treatment and counseling facilities.The Minister further said that free treatment is being provided to all patients at Government De-addiction centres, Rehabilitation centres and OOAT clinics. He said that the necessary instructions have already been issued in this regard to all the districts.
Giving detail about the OOAT Clinics, the Minister said that after witnessing the high success rate of OOAT Clinics across the state, state government has been commenced 37 clinics in July month at Mohali, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur districts. Now, total 118 OOAT clinics are functional in the State to provide OPD treatment services at the door step of patients suffering from drug addiction.“Around 100 more OOAT clinics will be started at remaining districts at CHCs (Community Health Centres) and at Rural Dispensaries in district Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Moga by September 2018,” he said. He said that there is seven times increase in terms of patient’s registration in July month with the 15782 registrations while total OPD footfall of OOAT clinics is 537562 so far.The Minister also clarified that State Government had withdrawn the order to ban on open sale of syringes in the state. He said that to curb the infection of serious contagious diseases, syringes are being provided free under the programme of National Aids Control Organization (NACO) in all over the country.