Staff Reporter:
Drug rehabilitation centres will soon be required to conduct a mandatory dope test and obtain a physician’s written recommendation before admitting any patient, under a new draft guideline aimed at curbing malpractice in the sector.
Currently, an individual suspected of drug addiction can be admitted to a private rehab centre merely on the family’s consent – a loophole that has, in several instances, seen people with no addiction issues committed amid family disputes.
To address this, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has drafted two guidelines – a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and a Recovery-Oriented Daily Schedule – which will be placed before 21 stakeholders for their opinion at DNC headquarters on 11 August. Under the SOP, a dope test must be carried out before admission to confirm the individual is indeed suffering from substance addiction.
Only a positive result, backed by a physician’s recommendation, will make a patient eligible for admission.
A negative result would rule out immediate admission, with further steps to be determined through specialised medical advice and clinical assessment.
Once the dope test returns positive, a battery of tests – ECG, Complete Blood Count (CBC), Random Blood Sugar (RBS), SGPT and Serum Creatinine – must be conducted before the admission process is finalised. Routine blood work will also need to include tests for HIV, Hepatitis-B (HBsAg), Hepatitis-C (Anti-HCV) and VDRL.
Liver Function Tests (LFT) and an ultrasonogram of the hepatobiliary system (HBS) must be carefully assessed to gauge liver function and any alcohol-related damage. For female patients, a pregnancy test will be mandatory as part of the pre-admission routine, alongside a gynaecological and reproductive history.
A physician will review all reports before recommending admission.
Crucially, the draft guideline states no patient may be admitted solely at a family’s insistence or through coercion, and no admission can proceed without a physician’s written recommendation and advice. Cases involving forced admission or the admission of a minor must follow the Private Rehabilitation Centre Rules 2021.
According to the DNC, the SOP is intended to ensure safe, scientific, humane and evidence-based treatment for people suffering from drug addiction, while establishing a uniform treatment methodology across all government and private rehabilitation centres nationwide.
The framework builds on the Private Rehabilitation Centre Rules 2021 and draws on internationally recognised standards, including those of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), alongside other evidence-based practices.
The SOP also sets out guidelines for outpatient services, requiring that details of all services rendered be maintained in a designated register or file even where a patient receives outpatient care only.
The accompanying Recovery-Oriented Daily Schedule guideline lays out a complete daily routine for patients, from waking at 5:30am to lights-out at 9:45pm.
