AI Generated Summary
- In a move aimed at bringing lived experience into the state’s mental health and drug rehabilitation framework, the Punjab Government is preparing to involve young people who have successfully overcome substance dependence and mental health challenges in district-level oversight bodies.
- The initiative will give recovered individuals a role in monitoring de-addiction and rehabilitation facilities and contributing to decisions concerning the quality and regulation of mental healthcare services across the state.
- Youth who have recovered from drug dependence, often referred to as “Soormas”, will be represented on the boards, allowing those with first-hand experience of the rehabilitation process to participate in improving the system for others.
In a move aimed at bringing lived experience into the state’s mental health and drug rehabilitation framework, the Punjab Government is preparing to involve young people who have successfully overcome substance dependence and mental health challenges in district-level oversight bodies.
The initiative will give recovered individuals a role in monitoring de-addiction and rehabilitation facilities and contributing to decisions concerning the quality and regulation of mental healthcare services across the state.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the government is strengthening the State Mental Health Authority through the formation of district-level boards. These bodies will bring together mental health professionals, psychiatrists, counsellors and other non-official members, along with young people who have experienced and overcome addiction or mental health difficulties.
Youth who have recovered from drug dependence, often referred to as “Soormas”, will be represented on the boards, allowing those with first-hand experience of the rehabilitation process to participate in improving the system for others.
The district boards are expected to play an important regulatory role. They will oversee mental health clinics, de-addiction and rehabilitation centres and participate in processes related to the recognition and affiliation of mental health establishments. They will also serve as an accessible platform through which patients and their families can raise complaints and concerns about treatment facilities.
The inclusion of recovered youth is significant because it introduces a patient-centred perspective into a system traditionally administered primarily by officials and medical professionals. Their experience can help authorities better understand the practical difficulties faced by people undergoing treatment — from accessing counselling and medication to coping with stigma and sustaining recovery after leaving a rehabilitation facility.
Punjab currently has an extensive network of facilities dealing with substance dependence. According to the Health Minister, the state has 213 de-addiction centres and 90 rehabilitation centres, besides 547 Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres providing treatment to people struggling with opioid dependence.
Treatment services have also been expanded within correctional institutions. OOAT centres are operational in 19 jails, while another 10 prisons have de-addiction-cum-wellness centres, extending rehabilitation and mental healthcare to inmates requiring assistance.
Alongside institutional treatment, the government is attempting to take addiction care closer to patients through its Community Bridge Programme. The initiative is designed to enable people to seek assistance while remaining within their homes and communities.
Under the programme, individuals requiring support can contact Tele-MANAS on 14416 for counselling. Medicines can subsequently be provided at their homes, reducing the need for repeated visits to treatment facilities and potentially making care more accessible to people who are reluctant or unable to approach rehabilitation centres.
The effort comes amid indications that mental health concerns are particularly pronounced among Punjab’s younger and working-age population. Data from the State Health Agency shows that more than three-fourths of beneficiaries receiving mental health treatment under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana are between 18 and 45 years of age.
The figures underline the need for mental healthcare and addiction treatment systems that not only reach younger people but also incorporate their experiences while designing and evaluating services.
By placing recovered youth alongside medical professionals and other members on district boards, the state is seeking to move beyond a purely institution-driven approach to rehabilitation. The model recognises former patients not merely as beneficiaries of government programmes, but as stakeholders capable of identifying shortcomings, representing patient concerns and helping shape a more responsive system of care.
For those who have successfully navigated addiction or serious mental health challenges, the initiative could also provide a new role after recovery — allowing their experience to become a resource for others travelling the same path.
