CHANDIGARH: Punjab government’s civil hospital in Kapurthala, in collaboration with non-governmental organisation (NGO) Alliance India, has completed two years of treating drug dependent women.
The programme, which started with one drug dependent woman patient in February 2019, is now servicing 235 women patients with clinical and psychosocial interventions every day through a partnership between the community, public health and related departments, including prisons and police. Alliance India had collaborated with the United Nations, technical partners and the Punjab government to develop a unique “one stop shop” model for women who use drugs.
Dr Sandeep Bhola, head of the Red Cross drug de-addiction centre in government civil hospital Kapurthala, had previously implemented the country’s first methadone intervention for drug users in partnership with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC).
Inspired by the Kapurthala civil hospital model, countries like Indonesia and Nepal have replicated this model facilitated by Alliance India through knowledge sharing, capacity building and study tours to and from the facility in Kapurthala to various Asian countries.
A meeting was organised on Tuesday at Kapurthala civil hospital to share the findings of this project. Gurpreet Kaur Deo, ADGP crime, was the chief guest of the programme, which was attended by dignitaries from the United Nations and Punjab government officials.