Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo today directed Principals of Government newly established Medical Colleges to establish Drug De-addiction facilities to provide quality healthcare and on-spot counseling to the patients by January 2020.

In this regard, a marathon meeting was held on the directions of the Financial Commissioner here in Srinagar, to assess and made all possible arrangements for establishing the facilities at the Government Medical College, Anantnag and Government Medical College, Baramulla.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Principal/Dean Government Medical College, Srinagar, Prof Parvaiz Ahmad Shah.

The meeting was attended by Principal,  Government Medical College, Baramulla, Prof Abdul Hamid, Principal Government Medical College, Anantnag, Prof ShowkatGeelani, Prof. (Dr.) Arshad Hussain Department of Psychiatry, GMC Srinagar, MedicalSuperintendent, Government Medical College, Hospital, Baramulla, MedicalSuperintendent, Government Medical College, Hospital, Anantnag, HOD Departmentof Psychiatry, GMC Baramulla, HOD Department of Psychiatry, GMC Anantnag.

Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, AtalDulloo urged Doctors and other stakeholders to come forward for making headwayin curbing drug menace in Jammu and Kashmir and making the campaign a grandsuccess. He said that the Government was aiming that the Drug De-addictionPolicy would focus on the integration of drug de-addiction centres with mainhospitals and on treatment and rehabilitation.

He said that the Government has prepared a special policyfor strengthening the government drug de-addiction centres under which the topquality treatment facilities would be provided to the victims of drugaddiction.

He said that the purpose of establishing these centres is tofurther strengthen the campaign started by the Government—of which thestrengthening of drug de-addiction is an important part.

 “We will provide topquality treatment facilities to the drug victims in the shortest timepossible,” Dulloo said adding that it was mandatory that new drug de-addictioncentres be established in Jammu and Kashmir Government soon.

Principal, Government Medical College, Srinagar, ProfParvaiz Ahmad Shah informed that the agenda of the meeting was setting up ofDe- Addiction facility at newly established medical colleges. He said a detailed discussion was held regarding the minimum requirements for startingthe OPD and IPD services for De-Addiction patients in GMC Baramulla & GMCAnantnag.

The officials said that the Drug De-Addiction admissionswould start by January 1, 2020, with the target of 3-5 admissions.

The meeting was informed that the hospital administrationwould provide a dedicated and separate space of 3 - 5 beds for the De-AddictionWard. They informed a separate space for De-Addiction OPD (OPD Room andCounseling Room) will be designated by the hospital administration.

The hospital administration will arrange the medicalofficers (3-5) from common pool for duties in De-Addiction Ward.

The Principals unanimously decided to depute five nurses forde-addiction ward duties, besides hospital administration will provide dedicatedpharmacist, orderlies, for the De-Addiction ward.

The meeting was informed that the hospital administrationwould provide security; surveillance and other logistic support to theDe-Addiction Ward, besides the sanctioned strength of Junior Residents ofDepartment of Psychiatry will be filled at the earliest.

Principal, GMC, Anantnag, Prof Abdul Hamid said thatcounsellors and social workers will be pooled from existing staff (DEIC NRHM,NHM, DMHP, MSF, till regular staff is appointed.

“We have decided that we will start the facilities byJanuary 2, 2020,” he said.

It may be recalled here that the Jammu and KashmirGovernment’s Drug de-addiction Draft Policy has received accolades from expertsof 37 countries at an international conference, held at New Delhi.

To tackle drug abuse that has over the years seen anexponential rise in Jammu and Kashmir, the government drafted a policy focusedon prevention, awareness and accessibility to treatment.

Notably, the State Administrative Council (SAC) had accordedsanction to the first-ever drug de-addiction policy in Jammu and Kashmir onJanuary 5, 2019. The policy lays out a comprehensive action plan for addressingthe drug addiction issue in its entirety.

Medicos said draft policy for drug de-addiction has alsocalled for an immediate end to the isolation of patients which will help tode-stigmatise the treatment of disease.

The policy recommends that drug de-addiction centres shouldbe integrated with the main hospitals to facilitate de-stigmatisation of thetreatment process of drug addicts.

It says drug de-addiction centres functioning in isolationleads to increased stigmatisation of disease and feelings of shame andexclusion, which makes treatment and eradication of disease difficult.

Based on a preventive model of disease, the drug policy willfocus on increasing the knowledge of the community about the consequences ofsubstance use, potential risk factors and measures that can be adopted to avoidthose factors.

The policy will focus on reducing the substance use,behaviour in the individuals, decreasing the vulnerability of the population atrisk of drug abuse and management and treatment of patients.