Giving further impetus to Punjab Government’s efforts to wipe out drugs menace from the state, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday directed the Health Department to strengthen the network of Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) Centres as well as Government and private de-addiction and rehabilitation centres by linking them with Aadhaar.
Chief Minister also ordered a waiver of Rs 200 user admission charges at the Government-run centres. The waiver of admission charges would be in addition to the free treatment already announced by the Chief Minister for drug abuse victims coming to the various centres.
Amarinder, during a meeting with the DCs, SSPs, and CPs of all the districts to review the progress of Government’s anti-drug campaign, said that linking centres with Aadhaar would ensure prevention of duplicate registration.
Besides, it was decided that mobile OOAT vans would soon be started to visit villages to provide door-step medication to the addicts.
It was informed during the meeting that two helplines — 181 for Police and 104 for the Health Department — were working round the clock to provide easy and confidential access to victims and their families, as well as informers.
Expressing concern about reports that some private centres had sales of over Rs 1 lakh per day for Buprenorphine, Amarinder ordered police and health officials to crack down aggressively on sale of de-addiction drugs, which were being misused by addicts, usually leading to dangerous consequences, including death.
The Chief Minister also asked the officials to undertake strenuous check on sub-letting of pharmacies. He was apprised of the progress of the pilot project launched to track drug sales against prescription from chemists in order to check unauthorised sales.
Chief Minister also announced that his Government will give rehabilitated addicts priority in self-employment schemes under Ghar Ghar Rozgar programme.
“Education and awareness to motivate the victims and their families to fight the social stigma and come to the de-addiction and rehabilitation centres also needed to be further strengthened,” he added.
Health department officials informed the meeting about Navjeevan - a mobile application launched for registration of drug addicts. Another mobile application would soon be launched to enable the people to provide information anonymously, they said.
The meeting was informed by police officials that 40 per cent people were currently in prison for drug related offences. Small-time peddlers were allowed to opt, under the NDPS Act, for de-addiction in lieu of prison term but this provision was not being used properly, they said.
The Chief Minister directed steps to educate the jailed small-time offenders in this regard.