De-addiction centres only on paper

De-addiction centres only on paper
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Highlights

The six months old State government’s proposal to open five de-addiction centres, which would provide treatment for alcohol and drug addicts, remains on papers as the State Medical and Health department has been sitting on the proposal. 

Hyderabad: The six months old State government’s proposal to open five de-addiction centres, which would provide treatment for alcohol and drug addicts, remains on papers as the State Medical and Health department has been sitting on the proposal.

At present, there is only one de-addiction centre, which provides medical services to addicts, at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Hyderabad.

The alarming increase of alcohol and drug addiction and the non-availability of government sponsored deaddiction centres is paving way for private centres to exploit patients. It may be mentioned here that the Supreme Court in 2016 had ordered that the government open de-addiction centres in every district within six months.

The Directorate of Medical Education issued notification on January 31 permitting the establishment of six centres at Osmania Medical College or IMH, Hyderabad, Gandhi Hospital (Secunderabad), MGM Hospital (Warangal), Government General Hospital (Nizamabad), Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital (RIMS) (Adilabad) and Government General Hospital (Mahbubnagar).

The IMH had also issued guidelines that all the government medical colleges which have one full time psychiatrist post may initiate the de-addiction ward with 10 beds in the medical college and start 10-bedded deaddiction wards in every District hospital. It further said for each deaddiction centre a fulltime psychiatrist should be available.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner, TVVP, Vakati Karuna said Karimnagar District Hospital had a psychiatrist, so they were initiating the 10-bedded deaddiction ward in the hosptial. She said another de-addiction ward would be set up at King Koti Area Hospital and works are in progress at Sangareddy District Hospital for a 10-bedded hospital which already had a psychiatrist.

According to Dr Uma Shanker, superintendent, IMH, as of now there are 15 patients undergoing treatment at IMH.

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