The Excise department’s Vimukthi, an anti-narcotic campaign for addiction-free Kerala, is likely to get a major fillip in Ernakulam, with approval being awaited from the Excise Commissionerate for the setting up of a full-fledged de-addiction centre at the Government Medical College (GMC), Kalamassery.
The original proposal was mooted almost a decade ago using the corporate social responsibility fund of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation to the tune of ₹30 lakh. However, it was since then kept in abeyance, as the government takeover of the hospital got precedence.
This had an unexpected corollary though, as interest on the initial fund accumulated swelling it by another ₹5 lakh. The latest proposal is estimated to cost around ₹40 lakh.
The proposed de-addiction centre will be set up alongside the psychiatric ward of the GMC. Apart from 16 beds, it will have four dedicated intensive care units (ICUs) making it only the single such facility under Vimukthi in the district. The basic infrastructure is already in place calling for a mere rearrangement of sorts.
“The centre will give a major boost to the Vimukthi programme in the district, as treatment is needed in most addiction cases rather than mere counselling. The feedback from counsellors under the programme also suggests that,” said P.V. Aleyas, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam.
For now, there is only a single de-addiction centre under Vimukthi in the district at the Muvattupuzha Taluk Hospital with an inpatient facility for 10. However, even that has now been reduced to outpatient service alone, as the building has been taken over for the time being for handling COVID-19 cases.
The Excise department has also proposed to set up another de-addiction centre at the Thripunithura Taluk Hospital for which ₹6 lakh has been allocated. It will have 10 beds dedicated to women and children, in addition to 10 others available to all.
“The number of cases being reported among women is less most likely because they go unreported on account of the social stigma associated with it. There could be a real boom in their numbers in the next couple of years. Also, the feedback from school counsellors point to the increased use of drugs among girls,” said Shijo Antony, counsellor with Vimukthi.
