Punjab forms panel to probe private rehab centres run by doctor accused of misappropriating drugs

Dr Amit Bansal, a resident of Chandigarh, who was running 22 private de-addiction centres across Punjab, was arrested in the first week of January after a vigilance probe found that drugs meant for inmates at rehabilitation centres were being misappropriated sold in the black market to persons not enrolled in de-addiction programmes.

A month after a doctor was arrested for alleged misappropriation of drugs at his private de-addiction centres, Punjab health department has formed an eight-member state-level committee to conduct a departmental inquiry into the matter.

Drug inspectors of these 16 districts where Dr Amit Bansal’s de-addiction centres were operational have been directed to physically check the stock of buprenorphine naloxone and seal it. They have also been told to send drug samples to the state lab for testing. (HT File)

The committee, headed by director, health and family welfare, will submit its report within three months.

Dr Amit Bansal, a resident of Chandigarh, who was running 22 private de-addiction centres across Punjab, was arrested in the first week of January after a vigilance probe found that drugs meant for inmates at rehabilitation centres were being misappropriated sold in the black market to persons not enrolled in de-addiction programmes.

Following his arrest, the state health department had suspended licences of all his centres on January 13.

The department has sought records from 16 districts where his centres were operational.

Drug inspectors of these 16 districts have been directed to physically check the stock of buprenorphine naloxone and seal it. They have also been told to send drug samples to the state lab for testing.

Further, drug inspectors and psychiatrists have been directed to collect and send treatment files and prescription slips of registered patients to the state headquarters in Chandigarh.

Health officials have been told to check the central stock register, attendance register of staff, closed-circuit television camera footage dump, and hard disk of computers of all 22 drug de-addiction centres run by doctor Dr Bansal. Drug inspectors and psychiatrists have also been directed to send the GST and bank details of these centres.

Meanwhile, psychiatrists have told HT that they have been assigned a task that should have been carried out by an investigation agency. “Majority of Dr Bansal’s drug de-addiction centres have already been sealed. It is very difficult to procure bank details and GST numbers of these centres,” said a psychiatrist.