NAWANSHAHAR: To facilitate the drug dependents to wean away from the drug menace through proper medical treatment, Civil Surgeon Dr Davinder Dhanda on Friday inaugurated three Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres in Aur, Muzaffarpur and Jadala.
Civil Surgeon Dr Davinder Dhanda said that five more OOAT centres would be thrown open in the coming days to ensure drug dependents need not have to go far away from their towns to get treatment daily.
He said that OOAT centres are changing the lives of drug-dependents as the treatment is being offered is helping them to get rid of the drug abuse. He said that the centres have given a new lease of life to the drug dependents and their families. He said that the centres are becoming the more preferred mode of treatment because it is OPD based and absolutely free.
He said that earlier, seven OOAT centers, one government de-addiction centre, one Red Cross de-addiction centre and four private de-addiction centres are functioning in the district.
Dr Dhanda told that with the Punjab Government has been creating mass awareness owing to which, a large number of youths are shunning drugs and visiting the centres for the treatment.
Prominent among present on the occasion included DMC Dr Harpreet Singh, SMO Dr Ravinder Singh, Dr Balwinder Singh and others.