The 50-bed rehabilitation centre in Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre in Amritsar has not admitted more than 20 patients at a time, eversince its inauguration in July 2014.
Three months after the Punjab government vowed to eradicate drugs from the state, it has yet not been able to bring patients from its drug de-addiction centres to its rehabilitation centres which remain half-deserted.
The 50-bed rehabilitation centre in Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre in Amritsar has not admitted more than 20 patients at a time, eversince its inauguration in July 2014.
The situation is similar in Jalandhar, where the government centre has around ten patients undergoing the second stage of treatment. Both the centres are part of the two model drug de-addiction centres in the state.
Since drug addiction is chronic, it may take upto two years for patients to completely recover from the addiction, doctors say.
"It is a two-step process. After treatment is initiated at the centre and detoxification begins, patients need to follow it up at rehab to ensure they do not relapse. But the major problem is that patients and especially their families are reluctant to send them to rehabilitation centres," Dr PD Garg, Head of Pyschiatry department, Amritsar Medical College, told DNA.
The problem persists in Jalandhar where doctors highlight that the addiction tends to relapse of patients do not follow up treatment in rehabilitation centres, due to which the success rate of treatment does not improve despite increase in number of such patients in OPDs.
Doctors highlight that there is need to integrate rehab centres with de-addiction centres or seek collaboration with private organisations.
The government has also proposed to set up skill centres to impart training to patients, mostly youth, so that they find employment after completing treatment.
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