GOVT TO GEOTAG DRUGHIT VILLAGES
CHANDIGARH: In a bid to check narcotics smuggling from across the border, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday suggested shorter tenures for the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel at border to break their alleged nexus with drug smugglers. At a meeting of all deputy commissioners, commissioners of police and SSPS of the state, he also accepted a proposal of the police for geo-tagging of drugaffected villages to ensure their regular and proper monitoring. Drug-free villages would be given additional grants for development works, as an incentive. The CM asked the police to formulate a robust system of reward and punishment. He said the SDMS, DSPS and SHOS shall be held responsible for ensuring their areas are drug-free.
private centres had sales of over Rs 1 lakh per day for Buprenorphine, Amarinder ordered the police and health officials to crack down aggressively on sale of de-addiction drugs, which he said were being “misused”.
But psychiatrists warn that it may result in breach of privacy and Buprenorphine is not the main culprit. “Patients might stay away from the treatment as they may fear that it might affect their future prospects in government jobs and schemes. Government has to address these fears. Centres giving opioid substitution therapy are required to keep IDS of patients according to National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines. But there is no statewide record in Punjab and Haryana. Seeking Aadhaar can prevent patients from registering at multiple centres, but sensitivities of patients will have to be kept in mind,” Dr Sumit Puri, in-charge of a private neuropsychiatric centre in Kalka (Haryana), said.
Dr Aswin Mohan, member of the Chandigarh chapter of Indian Association of Private Psychiatry, said the potential of misuse of Buprenorphine is “very low”. “The drug-related deaths are more from curtailing of supply of heroin leading to drug dependents opting for injections and deadlier cocktail of drugs. Government should not curtail the supply of Buprenorphine owing to its presumed misuse as it will derail efforts to fight addiction. You cannot wish away addicts,” he said, adding, “As for seeking Aadhaar details, confidentiality is of paramount importance for patients. Capturing biometrics can serve as a deterrent for misuse of the medicine, provided there is a robust system to maintain secrecy.” Mohindra said the government will ensure there is no breach of data.
Medical Council of India guidelines on secrecy say, “Confidences entrusted by patients to a physician during medical attendance should never be revealed unless their revelation is required by the laws of the State.”
The CM also announced after the meeting that rehabilitated addicts would be given priority in ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ (employment) programme, and suggested that informers be given government jobs as incentive.