Badal gives approval for de-addiction centre at Bathinda
Chandigarh, Jul 17 : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave in principle approval to set up another 50-bedded model de-addiction centre at Bathinda under the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.
The Bathinda centre follows the go-ahead to four such centres at Amritsar, Faridkot, Jalandhar and Patiala.
A decision to this effect was taken by Mr Badal on the recommendations of a team comprising Dr Ajit Avasthi and Dr Debasish Basu both Professors in the Department of Psychiatry PGIMER here this morning after a detailed presentation made by them on the specific suggestions under the 'Comprehensive De-addiction Services for all: The Punjab Model'.
He also gave nod to form 'Punjab State Society for Prevention and Control of Drug Abuse' with the primary objective of 'prevention, control and awareness generation about harmful effects of drug abuse. The society would also aptly handle the issues of user charges, other financial aspects and recruitment of staff on contract.
Apart from this, the Chief Minister also gave approval to release Rs 25 crore, of which Rs 10 crore would be spent on the upcoming drug de-addition centres at Amritsar and Patiala and the remaining Rs 15 crore would be utilised for the 10 bedded drug-de-addition units attached to the 31 district and sub divisional hospitals.
He also entrusted the task of recruitment of requisite staff to the PGI team, as it had already recommended the norms of two assistant professors, two senior residents and non PG junior residents and psychologists for each model de-addition centers under the department of Psychiatry of the concerned medical college.