KOHAT: The only private rehabilitation centre for drug addicts here is unable to accommodate hundreds of patients due to its high fee and limited space in the absence of much-needed government facility.

The centre was established by a philanthropist belonging to Quetta a few years ago where the addicts are provided three-month treatment. However, a maximum of 48 addicts could be accommodated in the rehabilitation centre named as “Da Haq Awaz” (the voice for right).

There is no doctor at the centre and a technician looks after the patients and conducts different tests. In serious cases, a private doctor is called to attend the patient. The fee has been fixed at Rs15,000 and those who have no money cannot benefit from the centre.

Additional assistant commissioner Tahir Ali told this correspondent that the centre was very congested where young boys and elderly people were sheltered together. He said that during his visit to the centre he had ordered that the young addicts should be given separate rooms so that they did not mingle with chronic addicts and criminals.

He said that the social welfare department had told him that the government did not provide even a penny for the rehabilitation of addicts and had not constructed a rehabilitation centre which could take the burden of the large number of addicts.

When contacted, the district police officer said that the reason for increasing number of drug addicts and availability of drugs was the close proximity of Kohat with the tribal areas.

He said that tons of hashish was produced in adjoining Orakzai tribal district, but no legal framework had been formulated as yet to get rid of its cultivation.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019