Punjab government has been doing serious efforts to tackle the menace of drug abuse in the state and has started a campaign at community level in which sensitization, treatment and counseling facilities are being provided to substance abusers. Punjab Government has deputed Vikas Garg Special Secretary Health & Family Welfare as Nodal Officer for the Drug De-addiction Campaign launched by the Punjab Government and one senior officer from police department to supervise the overall activity at district level.
Disclosing this here today Surjeet Kumar Jayani Health & Family Welfare Minister said that state government have planned 5 Model Drug Deaddiction Centres (DDCs). These centres would have OPD, IPD services and research and training activities. He said that out of these one has already started functioning at GMC, Amritsar. The others are being set up at Patiala, Jalandhar, Faridkot and Bathinda. The centre at Jalandhar is being run temporarily at ESI hospital with 25 bed facility. He said that centres at Amritsar & Jalandhar would function under GMC, Amritsar, centres at Faridkot & Bathinda under GMC Faridkot and centre at Patiala would function at GMC, Patiala.
Jayani said that these centres are being managed by Government Medical Colleges and about 20000 OPD and 800 IPD have been treated by these centres till today and about 16000 patients have been treated and about 1000 IPDs have been done of the drug abusers at the CHC level till date. He further said that the 14357 persons have undergone complete t/t in detoxification ward, 1105 persons currently under t/t in detoxification ward and 295 persons currently in rehab ward.
Jayani Furher said that Government is planning 34 drug de-addiction centers of 10-25 beds each at District and Sub-pisional hospitals out which 21 are functional. He said that 12 addiction centers have been newly built and 8 DDCs are under construction Minister said that at present 34 psychiatrists and 21 psychiatric social workers are providing services in these centres.Minister Jayani said that 157 posts of Psychiatrists and other specialities in the Health Department would be filled for which walk in interview will be conducted on June 28, 2014. He also said that 22 Rehabilitation Centers would be setup in the state, one each in every district.
Minister further said that private medical colleges and all the private medical colleges of the state have committed to immediately increase the bed strength for De-addiction purpose and fully cooperating with the State government’s efforts.Minister further said that in the year 2012-13 total OPD of 12 functional Drug De-addiction Centres was 42046 which has increased to 227880 during the year 2013-14. Similar trends have been observed in IPD patients as the number has increased from 4446 in 2012-13 to 6624 during 2013-14.He said that 25 master trainers are providing services and more than 170 GDMOs trained by these master trainers. He said that training of 34 more GDMO’s has been completed in Muktsar, SAS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Ferozepur and Fazilka districts.Minister said that Drug De-addiction Centres have also been established in 8 central jails Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur.