Amritsar: Admit drug addicts brought by police immediately, de-addiction centre told

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 6

Going by the new directions issued by the district administration, the Amritsar police would not face a peculiar problem of getting drug addicts, caught by them while consuming drugs, admitted to the Swami Vivekanand Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre at Government Medical College (GMC) here.

Health officials at the centre usually ask the police to bring a caretaker or a family member along with the patient during admission. Further, they also ask them to come during office hours (from 10am to 2pm) for admission.

Expressing displeasure, the police took up the matter with the district administration in this connection. The Deputy Commissioner (DC), who is also the chairman of the centre, has now issued new directions to the drug de-addiction centres to admit patients (brought by cops), who seek admission into the centre, for treatment. The DC also asked them to get these patients admitted whenever cops bring them to the centre.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said the Punjab Police had launched a crusade against rampant drug abuse and during search operations, the police even arrested drug addicts, who were not necessarily involved in drug trafficking. In such cases, whenever the police took such patients to a de-addiction centre, health officials at the centre raised an objection to the absence of any caretaker and asked them to bring them only during duty hours.

The centre provides free and quality treatment to drug addicts with the staff deputed for 24x7 service at the centre. The objections raised by health officials make the task of the police difficult.

“We raised the matter with the district administration and the Deputy Commissioner has passed these instructions to the health staff at the centre,” he said, adding that stern action would be taken against the de-addiction centre staff if they would raise unnecessary objections over the admission of drug addicts.

Were told to come during office hours

Health officials at the Swami Vivekanand Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre at Government Medical College (GMC) usually ask the police to bring a caretaker or a family member along with the patient during admission. Further, they also ask them to come during office hours (from 10am to 2pm) for admission.

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