Dope test of all govt employees will take a year; chief secy to finalise plan
FIGHTING DRUG MENACE Urine samples to be collected 4 days a week, says health dept SOP
CHANDIGARH: It will take an entire year and 65 government hospitals at district and tehsil levels to conduct dope tests of the more than 3.5 lakh lakh employees of the Punjab government and possibly another 50,000 from its allied bodies.
The state health department has devised standard operating procedure (SOP), as per which the hospitals will accept urine samples four days a week. It had earlier decided on two days a week. “But finding it too long a time of two years to cover all the employees, we have decided to make pathology labs in hospitals stay open for receiving samples four days a week,” additional chief secretary, health, Satish Chandra told HT. The SOP has been sent to chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh for issuing guidelines for a roadmap.
After the issue of drug addiction came under the spotlight again after a series of deaths purportedly due to overdose, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh a fortnight ago announced mandatory dope test for all the government employees, who number close to 3.5 lakh. It is yet to be decided if employees of boards and corporations are also to be included; they number at least 50,000.
Though the proposal came under criticism from opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), whose leaders said that putting women too under the test will be humiliating, the CM has stuck to the stand and asked the chief secretary to make the action plan. The CM argued that dope test is done in armed forces, too, irrespective of gender. He offered himself for a test after a demand was raised by the state employees’ union, and asked his ministers and Congress MLAs to take their own decision.
The health department has pegged the cost of the entire operation at Rs 25 crore; each kit costs Rs 450 (including the logistic charges), against Rs 1,500 for the test cost at private laboratories. “The monetary cost may not be huge, but it involves a lot of administrative intervention. It remains to be seen how it’s done seamlessly, as the department is also running several state and national programmes,” said a senior government doctor on the condition of anonymity.
DRUG OPD AT LOCAL HEALTH CENTRES
To provide targeted health care services to drug addicts, the Punjab government will set up outpatient opioid-assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics in every community health centre (CHC), said health minister Brahm Mohindra on Tuesday.
A press release from the minister said that 12 clinics will come up in the first phase, covering Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar. People suffering from any drug addiction will get treatment without having to be admitted to a hospital, he said, adding that the authorities will ensure functioning of clinics and centres as per the standard operating procedure and mark daily attendance of persons visiting the clinics.
In order to counter shortage of psychiatrist or supporting staff, the district de-addiction and rehabilitation society is now mandated to recruit them, he added.
All civil surgeons have been directed to ensure free treatment to addicts who belong to BPL (below poverty line) families. District societies and psychiatrists have been given the authority to provide free treatment to poor patients even if they don’t have a BPL card, he added.
KHAIRA MEETS GUV, SEEKS CBI PROBE
A delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday met Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore to seek probe by CBI or a judicial commission comprising a sitting judge of the high court into the “role, connivance and complicity of police officials with drug mafia”.
The delegation, which was led by leader of opposition in Punjab assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira, included several MLAs and other leaders of the principal opposition party. In the memorandum, the party leaders said they were of the opinion that drug trafficking in Punjab was not possible without the blessings, support and connivance of state police officials.
“Drug menace continues to claim the precious lives of our youth every day. Unfortunately, the Amarinder Singh government, in order to divert attention of the people, has initiated a debate on a non-issue like dope test,” they said.