Srinagar, July 05: Doctors at the Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, Government Medical College, Srinagar on Wednesday said that drug availability has become difficult for addicts and there has been an increase in patient footfall over the past six months.
Dr Yasir Hassan Rather, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences Govt. Medical College, Srinagar, said that there are several indicators by which they have come to know that the supply of illicit drugs has been curtailed.
“Now one gram of heroin costs Rs 6,000 which would earlier six months back cost Rs 3,000. It is an indicator that the supply has decreased. Patients also narrate that the drug availability is limited. It is not as easily available as it used to be,” he said.
Dr Yasir also said that the patient footfall at the Drug De-Addiction Centre of SMHS has increased over the past six months owing to the curtailment of drugs.
“This is also a reason that they are not able to procure drugs and they think it is better to seek treatment and good numbers of patients come for treatment. These are some indicators that highlight the curtailment in drug supply,” he said.
Dr Yasir said before six months they would receive some 25,000 drug addiction patients (including follow-up) at the De-Addiction Centre which has now increased to 38,000.
He said that fighting drug addiction needs a multipronged approach which includes demand reduction and so that we can get rid of the drug addiction menace.
Dr Yasir said there is also a need for preventive measures in schools about positive mental health so that children do not fall prey to drug addiction.
Head Department of Psychiatry GMC Srinagar, Dr Muhammad Maqbool Dar said all the concerned agencies have played an important role in curtailing the supply of drugs.
The HoD also said that they have observed that there has been a curtailment/reduction in the supply of drugs as dozens of drug peddlers were arrested over the past one year.
Dar said the Drug De-addiction Centre at SMHS Hospitals receives 15 drug addiction patients on a daily basis and most of them are opioid users.
“Earlier, before one year we would receive cannabis patients. But now we received opioid patients due to its easy availability,” he said.
“Now chemists also see the prescription of doctors and only they give medicines and the drug department is also playing an important role in this regard,” he said.
The HoD stressed the importance of understanding and identifying the signs and symptoms of drug abuse and emphasized the significance of raising awareness about drug abuse.
On the other hand, in the past 17 months, more than 6,000 drug addiction patients, most of them opioid users, have turned up for treatment at five Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) established in rural areas.
Last year, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir set up five ATFs in five districts like Bandipora, Budgam, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian which started functioning from 2021.
The ATFs were established in collaboration with National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS New Delhi to fight drug abuse, mental health issues.
While quoting a survey on prevalence of drug addiction in Kashmir, Dr Majid Shafi, Nodal Officer Mental Health DHSK said 70,000 people are suffering from substance use problems in the valley.
The survey was launched last year by DHSK in collaboration with GMC Srinagar, GMC Anantnag and GMC Baramulla and funded by the Social Welfare Department of Kashmir.
In 2019, Jammu and Kashmir became the second State in India that rolled out a drug de-addiction policy after Punjab in order to fight the rising drug menace.
