Sukhu announces State Advisory Board for De-addiction

Opioid Substitution Therapy Centres to be established in all medical colleges and district hospitals

While addressing one day-long State level workshop on Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition and De-addiction here today, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced the constitution of State level Advisory Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation in the State. To be headed by the Chief Minister this initiative aims to streamline the activities of various line departments on substance abuse to ensure an integrated approach towards this menace. Additionally, he also declared the Centre of Excellence of Mental Health at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda as a state-level nodal institution for De-addiction and rehabilitation. He also said that an Opioid Substitution Therapy Centre would be established at all medical colleges and district hospitals of the State.  He said that the School Health Mission will be implemented in the State in collaboration with the Departments of Education and Health.

Sh. Sukhu said that the State Government would prepare an action plan for addressing the nutritional concerns of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers, and children up to the age of six years besides drug abuse prevention, de-addiction, and rehabilitation. He also directed the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to formulate a mechanism to ensure the well-being of expectant women and their newborns up to the age of one year. He said that the first one thousand days of newborn babies are critical, therefore, their health is the priority for the State Government. He said that the Government was also contemplating delegating the powers to the lower level for the procurement of nutritional supplements to ensure good quality of food items being provided to eligible pregnant women, lactating mothers. He directed the officers to formulate SoP in this regard.

The Chief Minister said that there was a need to create awareness at the school level regarding the ill effects of drug abuse. He said that the State Government has initiated a crackdown on the drug mafia in the State and many of the culprits had been nabbed and the State Government has also made a provision to confiscate their properties. He said that to curb the drug menace, an integrated approach must be adopted. “It is concerning that young children are falling prey to the drug addiction. The State Government is concerned about how to protect hem and their families from this. We are also going to establish a state of art de-addiction and rehabilitation center in Kotla Barog of Sirmaur district spread over 150 bighas “, he added.

Sh. Sukhu said that the doctors from Himachal Pradesh were excelling in the medical field and bringing laurels to the State. He said that the State Government was also promoting health tourism in order to provide employment and self-employment opportunities and necessary infrastructure was being upgraded. He said that the present State Government has accorded top priority to health and education and during the last two years, the State Government has made significant changes in the healthcare sector and further radical changes are planned for the future.

He said that changing lifestyle is causing several health issues, therefore, it was essential to adopt a proper diet and lifestyle changes. He said that modern machines were being introduced in government health institutions and steps were being taken to follow doctor patients and nurse patients ratio in line with international health standards so that people can get better health care facilities. 

Health Minister Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil, while speaking on the occasion, emphasized on the importance of such deliberations in shaping the positive changes and policy decisions. He said that the present State government has taken numerous to improve the health care infrastructure in the State. He said that the health of newborn baby is directly linked to the mother’s well being. He said that awareness camps play a crucial role in preventing substance abuse among the abuse but cooperation from all sections of the society is equally necessary. 

Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena expressed concern over the lack of awareness about breastfeeding techniques for infants aged 0-6 months in Himachal Pradesh. He emphasized the need for proper nutrition for expectant women, lactating mothers and newborns, stating that the state faces climate change, public health issues, and the growing problem of substance abuse as major three challenges.

Dr. V.K. Paul, Member of NITI Aayog, stressed the importance of monitoring, training and teamwork to tackle the malnutrition issues in children. He advocated for immediate breastfeeding within the hospital after childbirth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. He said that ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers have a critical role in guiding parents on proper nutrition practices for infants. Training these workers is essential to ensure that children’s growth is monitored and supported effectively.

Dr. Paul emphasized the critical role of parental awareness in ensuring child health, urging families to provide nutritious meals at home once a child reaches six months of age. He highlighted the importance of zinc supplementation for children experiencing diarrhea to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Furthermore, he stressed the need for regular health monitoring of pregnant and lactating mothers.

Earlier, Health Secretary M. Sudha Devi welcomed the Chief Minister.

MD (Pediatrics) National Director CORD Padma-Shri awardee Kshama Metre, National Director of BMGF Hari Menon, Director, PHNDC Dr. Sheela C Vir, Technical Advisor, PHNDC Dr. Vandana Sabharwal, MD Dr. Rupal Dalal, Director ESOMA Kiran Bhadana and experts from AIIMS Delhi and PGI Chandigarh also deliberated upon various issues related to infant health during one day workshop.