Assam: SOP to regulate rehab centres long-awaited

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: There is a lot of noise by the departments concerned about framing SOP to regulate private drug rehabilitation centres whenever any untoward incident occurs at any of them. But things have remained the same, like they have continued to do after the government held a meeting with stakeholders in June 2022 and announced that it would be coming out with the SOP within a period of six months.

It has been almost two years since the government announced the framing of the SOP, but nothing has emerged so far.

Recently, such an incident happened at a centre in Botahghuli, Guwahati, concerning a physical assault on one of the inmates. People from the Social Justice and Empowerment and State Anti-Drugs and Prohibition Council descended on the centre and took stock. They did the usual rigmarole and found that it has been operating without adhering to the prescribed rules and regulations.

An officer at the Council said that they are soon going to come out with a SOP to regulate such private rehab centres after the election process is over. He also stated that a draft SOP has already been forwarded to the government for approval.

The government is likely to study the legal and other aspects of the matter before giving its nod, he added.

According to sources, there are around 300 such rehab centres operating in the state, out of which around 90 are located within the city of Guwahati alone. It is the norm not to keep more than two inmates in a room with an area of 100 square feet, it was stated. It should also be ascertained that the drug addicts coming to the rehab centre are free from diseases like AIDS, hepatitis B and C, etc. It is essential for a qualified doctor to be available at all times in the centre, they said. A section of parents, however, complained of maltreatment often used while counselling their wards admitted to such centres.

The parent of such a drug-addicted youth said, “We want to send our son to a rehab centre, but we are worried whether the centres are adhering to the rules or not. We are also not sure if they have the required facilities to properly treat our boy. It is also not possible for us to keep him at home and provide treatment for him. We are at a loss as to what to do.”

At present, the use of drugs is not confined to urban areas but has spread far from them, and many youth in rural areas are addicted to narcotic substances, official sources said. Along with the increase in the number of addicts, the number of rehab centres is also going up proportionately. To fight against the noxious effects of substance abuse, the Assam government has taken a number of steps, but until a proper SOP is in place, the rehab centres will operate at their own whims, and such untoward incidents will continue to happen. A clear-cut set of rules to keep the rehab centres in check is the need of the hour, and the faster it is done, the better it will be for those who are suffering for lack of these.

Also Read: Assam: Rehab centers operate on own whims in the absence of SOP (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: