Swedes get upclose with drug rehab in India

The 10 young students from Sweden who are at the Muktangan Rehabilitation Center to learn rehabilitative techniques have vowed to continue working for addicts after returning to their own country.

Apart from these 10 students, one student each from Holland and Switzerland were also a part of the team.

“This is a part of ‘Swindia (Sweden-India) project’ under which Swedish students are sent to Pune to learn about various fields that come under social service. At Muktangan, these students came to learn rehabilitative techniques and how to deal with patients struggling due to addiction,’’ explained Sanjay Bhagat, coordinator and administrative head at the centre.

Laxmi Kumar, cross-cultural training consultant of this project and director of Orchid School, told DNA that the project is meant for learning for various professionals like for doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers and social workers.

“We have been conducting this programme for the last 17 years and so far 600 participants have been trained,’’ she added.

One of the participants, Andrea Bloesch from Switzerland, a clinical psychologist working at Klinik Sudhang for alcoholics, told DNA, “In our country, we call such centres clinics as they deal with patients and treatment. In India patients are not treated as patients but are offered solutions and are counselled along with their families. Some of the therapies and handling of cases is done in a different manner.’’

“We deal with them privately and their identities are not revealed to another patient. But here, all patients are brought together and they are made to talk and chat with each other, which is different,’’ she said.

Andrea is on an Asia tour for the last four months and has come to Pune for this two-month course that will help her understand Indian ways of dealing with addiction cases.

Meera Ves from Holland has completed her course in female drug users from Kathmandu and has planned to stay back in India for a while to serve the addicts.

“In India, I have noticed that there is a stigma attached to female drug users. They cannot even openly smoke, consume alcohol and drugs are taken secretly which later becomes an addiction. Such women are left out and most of them even develop suicidal tendencies. This course will help me in understanding rehabilitation in a better way which can be used later after I join a non-governmental organisation,’’ she added.

Josefine Persson from Orebro University of Sweden said, “More or less, therapies like music, group therapy or counselling sessions are similar to that of our country. But in India, patients are more open and accept their addiction without hesitation. In Sweden, many of us go through hard times to convince patients that they are not in good health and need help. This is because they are more independent and stay on their own, which makes them loners and to some extent egoistic. Here, I have noticed that people are friendlier and patients are treated as friends.’’

“Also in India, families are given a priority and are counselled along with the patients. Back home, the patient himself approaches the clinic and usually, independent families never come into the picture. This makes follow-up impossible and the treatment regimen too fails, making the patient vulnerable,’’ she added.

Dr Madhavi Salunkhe, counsellor and teacher for the participants said, “Basically, we aim at recovery of the patient. At Muktangan, not all patients are given generalised treatment like other countries; but we focus on both the psychological and physical aspect of the patient, according to which tailor-made therapy
is prescribed.’’