LAHORE - The Punjab Healthcare Commission on Saturday has sealed an illegal drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centre, evacuated 38 inmates and shifted them to the Punjab Institute of Mental Health for treatment.

The PHC team, accompanied by the district administration and police, had conducted a raid on the Panah Rehab in Riwaz Garden, which was functional without requisite human resource, that is, psychiatrists, doctors, para-medical staff, etc, and insufficient facilities like the residential and emergency cover. Only ten beds were available, while inmates were made to sleep on the floor in congested rooms. Moreover, the centre was being run without registration from the PHC, and medical record of the inmates, while the attendants were also untrained. The administration had also not screened patients for different diseases like hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, etc.

Also, a first information report (FIR) against owner of The Panah Rehab Syeda Saadia Ghaznavi has been registered by the Sanda police station. This is the second centre of the owner, which has been closed down by the PHC. Earlier, The Panah Hospital on Nisbat Road was sealed, and proceedings are underway at the Commission.

The spokesperson of the PHC has said that so far the Commission has conducted raids on 83 drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres, and evacuated 710 persons. “Out of the visited centres, 38 have been completely and six partially sealed,” he said, adding that show-cause notices had been served on 24 centres after stopping them from taking new admissions and discharging the admitted patients.

Also, so far a fine of about Rs6 million has been imposed on the violating centres.