SKIMS medical college to start state-of-the-art addiction treatment facilities

Srinagar, Oct 19: SKIMS Medical College and Hospital (MCH), Bemina, Srinagar is all set to start state-of-the-art addiction treatment facilities in IPD at its newly opened Advanced Centre for Mental Health & Addiction Medicine, officials said.
Prof. and Head of Department of Psychiatry SKIMS Medical College, Dr. Abdul Majid, said that they have made the 36-bedded advanced center for mental health and addiction medicine fully functional and dedicated it to the public.
As per doctors earlier there was shortage of beds at the multi-speciality hospital and they were compelled to refer the patients to other Srinagar based tertiary care hospitals.
“Now the hospital is self-sufficient and patient flow is very high. We are planning to start addiction treatment facilities in the inpatient department,” the HoD said.
On a daily basis, the hospital receives 250-280 patients, including cases related to mental health and drug addiction from various areas of Kashmir.
“We have also designated space to provide biological treatments. We have already started Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (RTMS), a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain,” he said.
Notably, SKIMS MCH is the first hospital or centre in Jammu and Kashmir that has procured the RTMS machine and the hospital is giving its services to needy patients.
“We have also in place the treatment facilities like Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) and Nature-based therapy (NBT),” he said adding they have also started ketamine therapy for the treatment of depression patients.
The centre will also have special outreach clinics, psychotherapies, counselling, multi-behaviour therapy, special clinics, biofeedback, consultation liaison etc.
“Now patients do not need to go to any other hospital, they can directly come to us and take the benefit of the treatment facilities,” he said.
Dr. Majid stated that the process of hiring manpower for the center has begun, with staff expected to be recruited in the next couple of months. The new faculty, residents, and support staff will help run the addiction treatment facilities.
Pertinently, the department of psychiatry SKIMS Medical College has been offering services at SKIMS Soura in the form of OPD services and consultation liaison, mental health services to special populations in prison, voluntary medicare society and other registered organizations.