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Nada India demanded that patients should be given adequate information about the patient's rights

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By
Director,
IHBAS, Delhi

Dear Dr. NG Desai ji,

I congratulate you and the core committee members for preparing well drafted "Delhi State Mental Health Authority minimum standards for substance use treatment and rehabilitation centres". The draft document on minimum standard of care is inclusive and easy to implement. It will help hundreds of voluntary organisations running rehabilitation centres in Delhi to deliver much much needed services to patients and their care givers. 

My comments/observations on the draft document are mentioned below (in bold): 

1. The substance use disorders treatment and rehabilitation centres provides one or more of the following services : I would suggest to please also add word "residential" services.

2. Acute Detox : Drug overdose management may be included (I understand that "Acute care" may include overdose management but adding this into service head will help people to identify.

3. The terms license  and registration may be defined appropriately.

4. Patients should be given adequate information about the services, rules, charges, patient's rights, grievance redressal systems etc. at the time of admission and relevant information in this regard should be prominently displayed at the location of registration / intake- please include patient's rights as well.

5. Family motivation for treatment is crisis oriented and may not match with the choice of patient and circumstances leading for his admission. There should be a provision of protection /crisis management services for the patient/caregiver/family on 24*7  basis.

6. Essential treatment services (acute care and detox) for drug use and drug- induced disorders should be available during a sufficiently wide range of opening hours (to go beyond 9-5 timing and holidays) to ensure access to services for individuals with employment or family responsibilities.

6. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs and mental health are among the major risk factors for  non-communicable diseases. Thus, screening, diagnosis, treatment, data collection (DAMS) and education should be a part of minimum standard of care.

7. Social workers (MSW degree holders) should be appointed essential in all rehabilitation centres.
8. The certificate of discharge from Detox center must be checked before admitting the patient in rehabilitation center. 

Thank you for giving us an opportunity to our observations and be a part of this process.

Would be more than happy to elaborate on above mentioned points if needed.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,
Suneel Vatsyayan
Executive board member of 
National Association of Professional
Social workers in India, http://napswi.org/
Founding board member,Healthy India Alliance 
Chairperson, Nada India Foundation
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