Due to expiry of licence, Gurugram’s govt de-addiction center shuts down

GURUGRAM: The de-addiction center at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10, which hadn't been admitting patients for the last two months due to lack of space for beds, has been closed after its license expired. As of now, the license has not been renewed.

The center, Gurugram government's first de-addiction center in a government-run hospital, is mandated to have 10 beds for patients dealing with substance abuse, among other facilities such as space for cooking and ventilation.

However, according to officials of the health department, for the last two months, patients were forced to share one bed, and after that bed was moved, it had no beds at all

“For some time, the center had only one bed and two patients were occupying it. Recently, the sole bed was also moved to another department, because of which we couldn't admit patients,” said an official who wished to remain anonymous.

The outpatient department of the Civil Hospital in Sector 10 sees around 20 patients who need de-addiction treatment for alcohol, substance, tobacco and behavioral addictions, according to hospital staff.

Of these, at least a couple require admission and frequent care, hospital psychologists said.

However, these patients are being sent home due to lack of beds, officials said.

In July, the center was shifted from the Civil Lines building to Sector 10 to make way for renovation of the former. The center was functioning with 10 beds when it was in Civil Lines.

“The center at the Sector 10 hospital was only a temporary arrangement as it didn't have space for it to run. The health department is looking for another space for the center,” said a senior official from the health department

In 2017, 460 patients were treated at the center for alcohol, tobacco, and drug addiction, while in 2016, the number of patients had crossed 1,000.