Several centres lack Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists
*70,000 substance abusers in Valley; no data for Jammu
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 19: The Government today admitted that a formal consolidated assessment, particularly concerning the success rate of rehabilitation at de-addiction centres across the Union Territory, has not yet been undertaken, even as it acknowledged that drug abuse is posing serious social and public health concerns.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Responding to a query by BJP MLA Arvind Gupta regarding assessment of capacity, infrastructure and, particularly, the success rate of rehabilitation at De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centres, the Minister Incharge of the Health and Medical Education Department said that “a formal consolidated assessment is yet to be undertaken”.
However, the Minister assured that necessary manpower, infrastructure and logistical support would be ensured at the existing centres. “Steps are being taken to strengthen monitoring mechanisms, including improved data collection, to facilitate future assessments of capacity, infrastructure and rehabilitation outcomes”, the Minister added.
The disclosure indicates that while de-addiction centres are functional, the absence of a unified assessment of rehabilitation outcomes continues to limit a clear understanding of their effectiveness, prompting the administration to move towards a more structured and data-driven evaluation framework.
Significantly, analysis of the official data reveals that, barring the de-addiction centres at Government Medical College Jammu and Government Medical College Kathua, staff availability in de-addiction facilities of other Government health institutions remains grossly inadequate, adversely impacting treatment delivery and long-term rehabilitation monitoring.
The shortage of Psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists in several de-addiction facilities has emerged as a major concern, as effective recovery programmes require sustained supervision, counseling and follow-up care.
It is pertinent to mention that the availability of qualified Psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists is crucial for the effective functioning of De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centres, as substance use disorders require sustained medical treatment along with psychological intervention.
According to experts, addiction is not merely a behavioural issue but a complex mental health condition requiring professional diagnosis, counseling, therapy and relapse-prevention strategies. Adequate deployment of mental health specialists ensures proper assessment of patients, individualized treatment plans, management of withdrawal symptoms and long-term rehabilitation support, significantly improving recovery outcomes and reducing chances of relapse.
The Government, however, assured that steps are being initiated to strengthen manpower deployment and infrastructure support at existing centres to improve service delivery. “Monitoring mechanisms are being strengthened through improved data collection and reporting systems, which would enable authorities to conduct future consolidated assessments, including evaluation of institutional capacity, infrastructure adequacy and rehabilitation success rates”, the Minister said.
When asked about strengthening existing centres and establishing new Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centres, the Government said it has adopted a multi-pronged and forward-looking approach to strengthen de-addiction services. “This includes capacity building through specialized training of medical officers, enhancement of counseling services and a real-time surveillance and data reporting mechanism to track trends and outcomes,” the Government added.
“The establishment of new facilities is under active consideration as part of the policy framework to expand and strengthen treatment and rehabilitation services”, the Minister said, while admitting that Jammu and Kashmir, like many other regions of the country, is confronted with the menace of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. He added that the challenge has particularly affected a section of youth, posing serious social and public health concerns.
In reply to a question by Javaid Riyaz, the Government said, “as per a joint survey conducted by the Health Department and Social Welfare Department in 2022 across 10 districts of Kashmir, around 70,000 persons (mostly youth) are involved in substance use, out of which nearly 50,000 are heroin users, largely through the intravenous route”.
However, no such data regarding districts of the Jammu province was provided, although the question pertained to the entire Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
