Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, September 19
Failing to serve any purpose in the past six years, the 50-bed rehabilitation centre at Thehri village here is proving to be a white elephant for the Health Department.
Notably, the centre was built on a 3.5-acre plot by spending nearly Rs 4.5 crore in 2015. However, just about 500 drug addicts have been brought here for rehabilitation since its inauguration and only a few of them have completed the treatment course.
Surprisingly, the centre has nursing and other staff, but no counsellor. “The rehabilitation centre plays an important role in properly treating the addicts. Initially, the patients are given medicines for detoxification at de-addiction centres. In the rehabilitation centres, they are engaged in some tasks and given counselling. However, when the post of counsellor is lying vacant, the purpose of the centre is defeated,” said some health officials.
Sources in the department said the centre had a gymnasium and other facilities, but doctors rarely referred the addicts to the centre. Dr Rashmi Chawla, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Malout, said, “Three drug addicts were admitted to the rehabilitation centre recently, but they left the centre midway during their course. The rehabilitation is free of cost, but usually addicts don’t stay here for three months. Either they are unable to stay away from their families for such a long period or they can’t skip their jobs due to poor financial condition.” She said earlier middle-aged people, who were addicted to poppy husk, were mostly coming to the outpatient opioid assisted treatment clinic for treatment, but now, youth were being affected more.
No counsellor, Rs4.5-cr rehab centre remains ‘non-functional’
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