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Panchkula: Doctor held for running de-addiction centre sans licence
Panchkula deputy chief medical officer Dr Sneh Singh, who recommended that the centre be sealed, had lodged a complaint
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A drug de-addiction centre operating sans valid licence in village Marranwala was sealed and the doctor running it arrested on Thursday. The gross irregularities were detected in a surprise inspection a day earlier.
The arrested accused has been identified as Vinit Yadav, who was operating the Marranwala Psychiatry and Drug Dependence Treatment Hospital, Marranwala in Panchkula.
The inspecting team had found gross mismatch between the doses of medicine (buprenorphine) prescribed and that being dispensed.
Panchkula deputy chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Sneh Singh, who recommended that the centre be sealed, had lodged a complaint reading, “The committee suspects that narcotic drug buprenorphine is being misused and or diverted to some other places for misuse by the centre by making fake entries in the patient files and registers.”
Haryana assembly speaker Gian Gupta, along with administration officials, health staff had conducted a surprise check of the centre on Wednesday. Police had at the time registered a cheating case and other under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the Pinjore police station.
“The centre does not have a valid registration number under Haryana De-addiction Centres Rules, 2010, Amended 2018, to run a de-addiction centre. Moreover, Dr Vinit Yadav and his staff are doing fake entries in the patient files as disclosed by the patients,” read the FIR.
Speaking on the issue, Gupta said, “Some people just for making money are misusing drug de-addiction centres and playing with the future of youth. Strict action should be taken against such people.”
The centre was found to be issuing fake prescriptions for medication, which was provided at an exorbitant price. A medicine of ₹140 cost was being sold at ₹390.
Licence expired 6 months ago
Yadav, an MD in psychiatry and the owner of the hospital, registered with the Indian Medical Council on June 19, 2009. He said the centre registered under NDPS Act on September 12, 2019, and the same was valid up to September 11, 2022. The licence, however, was not renewed. He had another licence issued under the Establishment of Psychiatrist Hospital/Nursing Homes on June 20, 2019, which was valid up to June 19, 2024.
Fake entries, no guards, untrained staff
During Wednesday’s inspection, 33 original patient files were taken for verification. During telephonic interaction with patients, most patients denied visiting the centre on May 3, but their entries were found in the OPD files.
Five persons told the team that they would visit the centre on the first of every month and purchase medicines that were dispensed by ward attendants.
During the treatment period, drugs were dispensed from the dispensing counter without personal consultation with the doctor in-charge of the centre. It was also noted that no security guards were present at the centre and the staff nurses were not trained as per the guidelines. A patient at the centre said he had received his medicine from the centre, but no record of the said patient was found in any register.
