Assam: SOP to regulate rehabilitation centres comes into force from August 1

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: To streamline the deaddiction-cum-rehabilitation centres in the state, the state government is putting into effect a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) from August 1. The SOP was finalized today in a meeting between associations and owners of rehabilitation centres on one side and the Social Justice and Empowerment Department on the other.

Until now, the centres were operating according to their own whims, as no regulations were in place to control them. The state government did not even possess data on the number of such rehab centres operating in the state. There are around 500 such rehab centres, and most of them are privately owned. Only five of them are being directly operated by the government, and two are running with support from the state. Rehab centres have mushroomed in the state in recent times.

There have been allegations that inmates in these centres are often mistreated, the living conditions are not up to par, and drugs are also sold in some centres. Several inmates also died in these centres due to negligence.

In the meeting today, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pijush Hazarika, who chaired it, said that the SOP will come into effect on August 1, but the centres are being given three months’ time to implement the measures contained in the SOP. At the end of three months, any centre not following the guidelines will be closed down, he said. He stated that the conditions imposed through the SOP are not very strict in the greater interest of the youth who go to these centres for treatment.

He further said, “From today on, if I find any inmates dying in the centres, I will take drastic action against them. I have even received reports that drugs are sold in some centres. This has to be stopped immediately.”

According to the SOP, the centres should have a doctor on call, and a doctor has to visit the centre twice a week. After a patient is admitted to such centres, a doctor has to certify within 24 hours whether the patient needs treatment. In the future, a psychologist has to be provided for consultation. The SOP also states the number of doctors and nurses required in these centres as per the number of patients. Moreover, the number of patients that can be kept in one room is specified. The rooms should be clean and hygienic. A tie-up with nearby hospitals in case of emergencies is also mentioned in the SOP, along with other conditions.

A patient who has been cured at the end of the period in which he was lodged in a centre has to be certified by a doctor. Earlier, there was no such means of knowing whether a patient had been successfully treated. There was also a practice of drug addicts opening a centre of their own after coming out of rehab. It is now mandatory for a gap of three years before the former addict can open a centre of his own.

Minister Pijush Hazarika stated that a rehab centre is not like a jail, and those seeking treatment have to be provided a minimum of facilities, and the government will not compromise on that condition. Those unable to provide the required facilities should shut down their centres, he stressed.

 Also Read: Assam: Youth Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances in Rehabilitation Centre (sentinelassam.com)

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