ISLAMABAD, April 9: The US embassy will provide medical assistance to the detoxification and rehabilitation centre of police hospital in the federal capital.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the successful treatment of the third group of patients for drug addiction at the police lines headquarters here on Saturday, Superintendent of Police Sultan Azam Taimori said the US embassy had agreed not only to provide equipment to the hospital but also assist the doctors in rehabilitating the drug addicts.

He said the hospital was being run in collaboration with the local community with police funds. “We are satisfied with the availability of medicines and quality of treatment but more work is needed in the area of rehabilitation,” he added.

So far, he said, 33 patients had been treated in the hospital. He said the business community had agreed to provide jobs to the people after their treatment. Plans are also underway to train the drug addicts in different fields such as driving and labour in various industries.

He said the hospital was part of a welfare project, where patients were provided free treatment, meals, clothing and medicines. Moreover, under a plan the police officials would offer counselling to the patients and their family members so that a drug addict could become a useful citizen.

The SP distributed gifts and cash prizes among the patients. Those who received the prizes were Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Arif, Amir Abdullah, Fazal Mehmood, Nazeer Ahmed, Javed Kahn, Hukum Dad, Irfan Irshad, Mohammad Yasin, Mohammad Anwar Khan, Zareef Khan and Fayyaz Ahmed.