Five unlicensed drug rehabilitation centres sealed off in Dhaka

The Department of Narcotic Control (DNC) today sealed off five drug rehabilitation centres which were operating without licenses in the capital.

DNC authorities have accelerated their raids recently, after a senior assistant police superintendent -- Anisul Karim -- was beaten to death inside a rehabilitation centre named Mind Aid in the capital's Adabar area.

Mind Aid had rehabilitation centre approval, but it was also operating psychiatric treatment illegally, according to officials.

It was closed and approval was revoked after the death of the police officer, they said.

During today's drive, a team of DNC's north division sealed off Hira rehabilitation centre in Mipur-2 and Diner Alo rehabilitation centre in Mohammadpur.

Mehedi Hasan, an assistant director of DNC who is leading the drive, told The Daily Star that both rehab centres applied for a license but they started their operations before they were issued.

"We have also not found sufficient doctors and ward boys in these rehab centres, for which we sealed off both of them," he added.

Meanwhile, a team of DNC south division conducted a drive in Doyagan, Sanir Akhra, and sealed off three unauthorised rehab centres and arrested one person for selling medicine without the authority's approval.

Manjurul Islam, deputy director of of DNC South, told The Daily Star that they first raided Hadi rehab centre, situated on the eighth floor of Madina Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, for operating without approval. There have around 11 patients in the rehab centre and they were handed over to their guardians, he said.

The DNC team also arrested Rejaul Karim Dulal, the owner of Madina Hospital, as he was storing medicine needed during operations without taking proper approval from DNC. A case under narcotic control act was filed against him, said DD Manjurul.

The team further sealed off two more unlicensed rehab centres -- Ananda and Jibon Paribartan -- in the capital's Sanir Akhra area, he said.

Manjurul said that a rehabilitation centre must have full time doctors and part time psychiatrists, but none of the centres had full time doctor facilities.

Muhammed Ahsanul Jabbar, director general of DNC, said there are around 350 licensed rehab centres across the country, including 105 in the capital.

"Drive against illegal rehab centres is a routine process but we have increased our vigilance and strengthened our drive after the recent incident at Mind Aid hospital," he said.

He said the approved rehab centres were supposed to provide treatment only for those who are mentally sick due to narcotics addiction. "There is no scope to convert the service into psychiatric treatment without permission, which Mind Aid did," he explained.