KEM deaddiction center of excellence: The journey

Abstract

The Department of Psychiatry at Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai has been treating substance use disorders (SUDs) at its De-addiction Center of Excellence (DAC) for more than 25 years. This DAC was established with the support of Drug De-addiction Program (DDAP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOH & FW). This is an overview of the services provided by the KEM DAC, with the information about the Drug Treatment Clinics (DTC) scheme of the central ministry that is implemented for the past 4 years. This provides information about the outdoor, indoor, and community services of KEM DAC along with the facilities available for the SUD patients and their relatives. The main focus of the article is the DTC scheme, its initiation, process, and the implementation. The scheme is implemented since 2014 with the support of DDAP, MOH and FW, with National Drug Dependence Treatment Center, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi as the national coordinating Center and KEM DAC as the Regional Resource and Coordination Centre (RRCC) in the Western region. Besides its own DTC, KEM RRCC has established five more DTCs in the region. These are established after seeking permissions from the competent authorities and after the feasibility assessment. Thousands of patients have been taking the benefit of these DTC services and can remain drug-free. The scheme had also reduced crime and helped their families and the society at large.