The Excise Department’s first district-level de-addiction centre under its Vimukthi scheme for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts is ready at the Government General Hospital in the city. Minister for Excise and Labour T.P. Ramakrishnan will open the facility on February 20.
The de-addiction centre will have the support of two doctors, including a psychiatrist, to attend to patients and support their rehabilitation. The service of a professional psychologist and three nurses will also be available for patients at the centre, which is the first such facility in north Kerala.
According to Excise Department officials, the centre is equipped with facilities to accommodate up to 10 patients at a time. The treatment procedures and other medical related activities would be directly controlled by the District Medical Office, they said.
The service of the centre will be made available free of cost to the needy. Those referred by approved counsellors as part of the rehabilitation efforts will get priority.
State-level centre
The Excise Department is also actively considering the scope of opening a State-level de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Kinaloor in Kozhikode.
