Chandigarh : The Punjab government will treat poor drug addicts for free at all state-run de-addiction centres. At a high-level meeting of civil surgeons, medical superintendents and principals of the government medical colleges today, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh directed his chief principal secretary to ensure that necessary funds for free treatment are immediately placed at the disposal of the concerned deputy commissioners, an official release said.
Singh said that he would sanction funds from the chief minister's relief fund, if needed. He directed the Health Department to explore the possibility of seeking financial aid from reputed national and international health organisations, besides engaging with the NGOs already working to fight drug abuse. Singh said he would personally take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urge him to intensify Centre's efforts to prevent entry of drugs and narcotics into Punjab from the adjoining states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
The chief minister also underlined the need to keep a strict vigil over the nefarious activities of some foreign students, especially of African origin, who were studying in private institutions, colleges and universities, and were reportedly into drug smuggling and peddling, the release said. He asked the management of these institutions to crack down on such students.
The Health Department was also asked to work out the modalities in consultation with the Transport Department for extending free travel facility to poor drug addicts along with one attendant each in government busses to go to the nearby de-addiction centres. He took serious note of reports of police probing the antecedents of drug addicts taking admission in de-addiction centres. PTI
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