Haryana evokes Mental Healthcare Act, in a first

CHANDIGARH: Haryana claims to have become the first state to evoke the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, in the case where 23 inmates were rescued after raid on an illegal de-addiction centre in Panchkula on May 30.


Confirming this, Haryana principal secretary for

social justice

and empowerment

Neerja

Sekhar told TOI that the case was now being used to set a future standard operating procedure (SOP) for the treatment of rescued inmates, some of whom were HIV-positive and infected with Hepatitis C.

It was for the first time that a multiple department approach is being adopted to help the substance abuse addicts. Social justice, police, district administration and health departments have been involved in the case and will all be engaged in treatment of the rescued inmates and tracking their rehabilitation. Civil hospitals in different districts that the inmates belong to will provide the treatment by involving a psychologist based on a proper protocol and send reports about their recovery. The progress of each of the rescued addicts will be tracked for 1.5 years or till they recover fully.

As some of the inmates were found to be suffering from contagious and lifethreatening diseases, police added more charges against the illegal de-addiction centre for denying treatment and also creating a threat to the public health in the area.

The case
After getting a tip-off, social justice and empowerment department deputy director Dr Aditya Kaushik had led a team on May 30 to the de-addiction centre running without a licence. According to Haryana rules, a de-addiction centre must obtain a licence jointly issued by the director of the social justice department and the director-general of health services. When the team, which also had district social welfare officer as a member, was denied entry, the police were called to the spot. The raiding team was left aghast by the condition of the inmates who were supposed to be undergoing treatment there.

There were jail bars installed inside rooms where inmates were kept in cagelike structures. They were frequently denied food and tortured as was evident from injury marks on their bodies. Panchkula police filed a case against the centre’s operator Karan Singh Sodhi.

Taking help of inmates
A committee was set up constituting district social welfare officer, civil surgeon and other officials who recorded statements of the inmates saved from the Panchkula centre. They were asked about the sources from whom they bought narcotics and the information passed to police to act upon.

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