Representative image of alcohol.
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Panaji: On average, three to four cases of chronic alcoholism were reported daily at government-run de-addiction facilities in Goa in the past five years, according to data shared by the state government.
The numbers tabled by State Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in the Assembly on Thursday also mention that one to two cases of chronic alcoholism were reported daily from 2019 till May 2024 at the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Bambolim, near here.
The IPHB is a state-run hospital dealing with mental wellness.
In the North district facility, 1,673 chronic alcoholism cases were reported in the last five years, while 4,623 cases were reported in the South district centre during the corresponding period of 2019-2023.
Chronic alcoholism is a medical condition characterised by a long-term, compulsive pattern of excessive alcohol consumption. The Goa government has set up the special facilities in the state’s both districts to help people struggling with dependence on alcohol and drugs.
The highest number of cases were referred to both the district facilities in 2023 – 522 cases to the North district facility and 1,168 to the South district centre. At IPHB, 523 cases were reported in 2023, the highest in the last five years, as per the data.
Rane said counsellors from NGO ‘Sangath’ have been posted at various centres to screen patients with addiction and refer them to these two de-addiction centres.
The minister told the House that teams of medical officers, special psychiatrists, psychiatric counsellors, staff nurses, and MPHW (Multi-Purpose Health Workers) are available at primary health centres and community health centres.
“Further treatment referral facility, admission facility, free medicine and investigations are also available for patients,” he added.