Patient numbers up 1,300% in 5 yrs at Hyderabad drug treatment clinic | India News

HYDERABAD: It’s a excessive on a significant leap. Fresh information tabled in Lok Sabha has thrown up a stunning 1300% leap in footfall during the last 5 years at Hyderabad’s drug treatment clinic (DTC). According to data submitted by the ministry of residence affairs on July 22, the DTC at town’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH) noticed the variety of sufferers go up from 701 in 2020-21 to 9,832 in 2024-25 (up to Jan). It is the sharpest spike throughout all such main centres in India.According to medical doctors at IMH, most sufferers visiting the clinic are hooked on alcohol, adulterated toddy and hashish. The Hyderabad facility was set up in 2020.

“On an average, at least 30 patients come to the drug clinic every day. In a month, we easily record over 600 cases,” stated Ok Phanikanth, who heads the clinic at IMH. He added: (*5*)Doctors and de-addiction specialists attribute this astronomical rise to a number of components – straightforward availability and affordability of medicine, elevated nervousness and stress put up pandemic and presence of a devoted treatment facility that sufferers can go to. Stricter enforcement by the Anti-Narcotics Bureau making counselling obligatory underneath NDPS Act and rising consciousness about substance abuse are additionally components pushing the numbers up, they stated.“In fact, what this data indicates is just the tip of the iceberg,” stated Ok Devika Rani, a de-addiction knowledgeable. She added: “The problem of substance abuse is deeper. Thousands of people, especially youngsters, are hooked to drugs like cocaine, LSD, MDMA along with cannabis and alcohol. The addiction is so severe that weaning them off is a near impossibility.”Set up with the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, because the nodal centre, DTCs run underneath govt-supported de-addiction programmes. They deal with individuals, above the age of 18 and coping with varied addictions, as outpatients who’re given anti-craving remedy and psychological counselling.While two DTCs, in Dibrugarh (Assam) and Agra (UP), noticed the next proportion rise in affected person depend in comparison with Hyderabad (1788% and 1400% respectively), absolute numbers in each these clinics have been decrease. While Assam’s numbers went up from 25 in 2021-22 to 472 in 2024-25, in the case of Agra, it elevated from 16 to 240 through the stated interval. Currently, India has 25 DTCs.