Irfan Tramboo

Drug De-addiction policy: Medicos, cops to come together to weave success

Drug De-addiction policy: Medicos, cops to come together to weave success
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Srinagar: The government finally seems to be in a mood of making some progress to curb the substance abuse and the subsequent de-addiction process. It will be, in the coming days, putting in place an ‘effective’ monitoring mechanism at different levels. The mechanism, in the shape of committees, will be a total mixture of cops, medicos and bureaucrats.

For the effective implementation of the recently framed Drug De-addiction Policy, the government will form two separate committees which will look into the implementation at the policy level and the ground level.

For the purpose of monitoring, by virtue of the draft policy, two committees, Policy Implementation Monitoring Committee and Drug de-addiction will be formed. The committees will look into the different aspects pertaining to the implementation of Drug De-addiction Policy.

State level, Policy Implementation Monitoring Committee will be headed by the Chief Secretary and will have Administrative Secretary of the Department of Health and Medical Education as the Vice-Chairman, an official said.

“Director SKIMS, IG Crime Branch and Excise Commissioner will also be members of the committee. The Principal, Medical College, Srinagar and Jammu will alternately, every two years, act as Member Secretaries of the committee,” reads the policy issued by the government.

The Head of the Department, IMHANS, Kashmir and the Head of the Department, Govt. Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Jammu, will be Technical Members of the committee. The government will be also co-opting 2 members from the Civil Society, one each from Kashmir and Jammu to aid in the functioning of the committee.

The committee is supposed to meet twice in a year and will suggest changes in the policy from time to time as may be deemed necessary.

“The committee will also try to look for financial support for various de-addiction activities in the state,” the policy states.

Further, the divisional level, De-addiction Centres Monitoring Committee, will also be formed, one each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Both the committees, the policy says, will have Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department as the Chairperson.

“Principal SKIMS Medical College, Director Jammu And Kashmir and State AIDS Control Organization and Drug Controller will be the Members. IGP, Crime Branch will nominate two members, one each from Jammu and Srinagar of the rank of DSPs, to be part of the committee. Law department will nominate two Law Officers one each for Jammu and Srinagar Committees,” says the policy.

The Head of Department, Psychiatry, SKIMS Medical College, senior most psychiatrist from the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, and the Head of the Department, Psychiatry, Rajouri Medical College, senior most psychiatrist from the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu will be expert members of the respective committees of Kashmir and Jammu divisions, said the official.

The role of the committee will be to inspect the existing de-addiction facilities in the whole state of J & K and “grant or cancel licenses, whatever applicable, after thorough and proper inspection of infrastructure, manpower and standards of care.”

All the upcoming de-addiction facilities will have to apply to the division level committee for grant of license for the establishment of de-addiction facilities.

Further, the committee will also look at monitoring of prescription drug abuse and suggest remedial measures to the drug controller, which will be happening for the first time.


Irfan Tramboo

Irfan Tramboo is a reporter and covers education and health and can be contacted [email protected]

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