Punjab: Governor Gulab Chand Kataria began his padayatra against drug abuse from one of the worst-affected districts in the state, but the spotlight shifted to the Red Cross de-addiction centre, which is facing an existential crisis after the health department turned down a request to appoint a permanent psychiatrist. The demand cannot be met due to the financial crunch faced by the centre. If it does not meet the department’s demand, it risks losing its licence to operate. There are only four such institutions in the state. The others are in Nawanshahr, Kurali and Patiala. They run on grants given by the Union government’s ministry of social justice and empowerment. If the centre’s licence is cancelled, hundreds of addicts will not be able to get buprenorphine, a pill prescribed for those with heroin addiction. This drug is the elixir on which rehabilitation centres survive. “Without this drug, it is impossible, unlikely and impractical for us to work. If the addicts do not get their daily dose of buprenorphine, they will start dropping out of treatment midway,” said a counsellor. Project director Romesh Mahajan has sent an SOS to a ‘powerful’ Chandigarh-based bureaucrat, urging him to intervene.
“The state government has no authority to interfere as the funding has come from the central government. As per a conservative estimate, we will have to spend Rs 1 lakh per month on appointing a full-time psychiatrist. We are now working on a very low budget. We already have a part-time psychiatrist in the form of Dr Maitri of the Civil Hospital, so what is the need for a full-time appointment?” said Mahajan, who has won a national award for working in the field of drug abuse prevention. Experts believe the centre cannot function for even a day if the drug supply is compromised. A health official said, “We are just following the rules. There is no point in treating drug addicts without the help of a psychiatrist.” Gurdaspur is one of the worst hit in terms of heroin consumption as the district borders Pakistan. State and non-state actors are bringing in large quantities of heroin from Pakistan using drones. A counsellor said, “Without buprenorphine, everything will collapse as treatment will stop.” The move to withdraw the centre’s licence signals its end. Residents claim that it will indeed be a sad day for the city as over a lakh drug addicts have been treated in both the indoor and outdoor departments of the centre in the past 30 years.
