By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 13 Dec: The state government is currently running a campaign to stop drug trafficking and destroy the illegal drug-network in Uttarakhand. As part of its campaign, the government has also focussed its attention now towards a large number of drug de-addiction centres being operated illegally in the state. In view of this, the Health Department has made registration of all de-addiction centres mandatory. The government has warned the illegal centre operators that, if they do not register, strict action will be taken against their centres as per the Act.
According to State Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar, on the one hand, awareness is being created against drugs among the general public and especially the youth in the state, on the other hand strict action is also being taken against the criminals involved in drug trafficking. Under the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, de-addiction centres are being made effective in all the districts of the state to connect the drug addicts with the mainstream and for their rehabilitation. At present, four Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts are being operated. A campaign is being run by the state government regarding the ill effects of drug addiction among various sections of the society and especially the youth. People who are under the influence of drug addiction will be freed from addiction through counselling and treatment. To control unregistered de-addiction centres, the government has decided that strict action will be taken as per the Act against those centres which are not registered as unregistered deaddiction centres have generally been seen to be flouting various norms.
Dr Kumar said that, earlier, there were no Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the operation of de-addiction centres and mental health institutions. Complaints about various irregularities and misbehaviour in many institutions has been received from time to time through newspapers and electronic media. For this reason, the government has made rules and regulations for these institutions and promulgated them in the state, so that all the mental health institutions, de-addiction centres and such rehabilitation centres where people suffering from mental illness are kept, are run as per those rules and everyone. It is mandatory to be registered with the State Mental Health Authority. All registered institutions will also be audited and inspected from time to time and the last date for registration is 14th December.
Dr Kumar informed that so far about 70 de-addiction centres and mental health institutions have applied for registration in the State Mental Health Authority, due to which the process of allotment of provisional registration certificates to them is in progress. If unregistered centres are operated, they will be considered illegal and action will be taken against them under the provisions of the State Mental Health Care Act-2017.
In the definition of mental illness in the Mental Health Care Act-2017, drug addiction has been included in the category of mental illness. Uttarakhand has reported higher than national average of cases of drugs addiction. There is a huge shortage of experts working in the field of mental health in Uttarakhand and the number of rehabilitation centres is also very limited. The state government. The government has given DPCP course to 30 government doctors from NIMHANS, Bangalore and they are also getting the work done for the treatment of mental patients. The process of setting up 100 bedded de-addiction centres at two places in the state, one in Kumaon and one in Garhwal division, is in progress.
Mental Health Institute, Selaqui has been upgraded to a 100 bedded mental hospital. Apart from this, work is being done on a plan to build a 100-bed mental hospital in Nainital district. The government has also issued instructions to reserve 5 percent of the beds in the district hospitals of the state for the treatment of mental patients and drug addicts.
