Punjab minister marks probe in de-addiction centers

Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra today marked an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the functioning of de-addiction and rehabilitation centers in the state.

He directed Health Secretary Husan Lal to submit a report on the matter within one week.

Mohindra said the matter is very serious, as huge amount of public money have been spent on these centers while the deliverance was nil.

The findings of the CAG report, tabled in the Assembly recently, will be taken very seriously and proper legal and criminal action would be initiated against those whose name figures in the report.

Mohindra claimed the centres were running without proper licensing from the previous government, which went unchecked during the SAD-BJP regime.
 

"There is huge nexus of anti-social elements and the persons running these illegal centers," he alleged.

"This needs to be thoroughly probed so that the people of Punjab come to know about the mis-governance of the previous regime," he said.

The CAG report clearly shows the seriousness of the previous regime towards the most key sector Health, he said.

"The SAD-BJP combine played with the health of the state as well as of the people," he said.

Citing CAG report, he said the test check records in the selected districts showed that against 1,75,108 drug addiction patients registered in OPD, only 11,186 patients were taken to IPD, which ranged between 1 and 19 per cent in the eight MDDCs/DDCs during 2013-16, while the percentage of unutilised bed capacity in these centres ranged between 17 and 60 per cent during the same period.

He said there were 35 drug de-addiction centers and rehabilitation centers, which were running without proper license from the government, while another five were not functional at all and as per rules, no centre shall be allowed to operate without obtaining license from the director, health and family welfare and director, social security and women child development.

Also five de-addiction and rehab centres, which were set up in 2014 and 2015 at cost of Rs 6.93 crore, were not functional due to non availability of the psychiatrists, medical officers and other staff, he said.