Substance abuse certificate every 6 mths must for addicts

MOVE TAKEN TO CHECK PILFERAGE OF DE-ADDICTION MEDICINES, SAYS HEALTH MINISTER BALBIR SIDHU

CHANDIGARH: In a strange move, the health department recently issued an order whereby the patients opting for de-addiction treatment will have to get themselves tested from a government hospital and procure a “certificate”, declaring that they are actually into substance abuse.

The order dated August 14 under the head ‘Standard operating procedure (SOP) for urine screening of patients of substance abuse’, says “to begin with, urine screening of old and new patients will be started in Tarn Taran and Sangrur districts with immediate effect”.

Senior health officials backing the move reasoned that the SOP was changed to prevent the patients (addicts) from getting medicines from multiple centres.

After the new SOP, the patients will have to procure a certificate from a government hospital after paying a fee of ₹250 for urine test every six months. The government and private de-addiction centres have been asked not to issue medicines to a patient without the certificate.

Officials associated with de-addiction campaign said such an order may derail the de-addiction campaign and could cause a lot of harassment to the patients seeking treatment and may actually discourage them.

Right now, a patient at the private or government de-addiction centre undergoes various tests, including urine examination, and de-addiction medicines are issued after the psychiatrist confirms that he/she has been into substance use.

“There were reports about patients getting doses from multiple centres and selling it off to other addicts. By checking their addiction every six months, we will be able to check if the addict is taking the prescribed medicines or selling it off. It will help us know the affect of the treatment being given to an addict,” health and family welfare minister Balbir Sidhu said.

“It is strange and surprising as why the department needs to complicate the treatment process. As every patient is required to register himself or herself on the centralixed registration portal, it is impossible for any patient to get medicines from multiple centres since Aadhaar details are there,” said a senior functionary involved in de-addiction programme.