State announces facilities to wean away addicts

Health Minister U T Khader announced counselling facilities across the State for those who want to kick the habit of chewing gutka following its ban. He said such facilities were currently available at Nimhans, Victoria Hospital and St John’s Medical College & Hospital.

Similar de-additiction facilities will be made available at district hospitals in the State as well as those at  the taluk level.

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The government, he said, has planned aggressive advertising campaign to make people aware of the psychiatric and emotional symptoms addicts are like to experience when they cease to chew tobacco.

The advertisements will make an effort to generate awareness of the de-addition facilities  being made available, he added.

According to Dr Prakash BL of Vepra Health Care, “Addicts who are going to quit, do not need hospitalisation in anyway. Non-smoke tobacco is one of the easiest substances to quit.”

Experts also opined that a few counselling sessions would help people overcome their habit. They said people should access de-addiction counselling facilities provided by the government as it would ease the process of quitting.