Panel wants beds at drug rehab centres increased.

PESHAWAR -- Having successfully launched the Drug-Free Peshawar campaign with over a 1,000 drug addicts undergoing detoxification and treatment at several private sector facilities, the advisory body overseeing the project has sought increase in bedding capacity of these centres.

'We need to increase our capacity to be able to treat more drug addicts without compromising the quality of services at the treatment centres,' Peshawar commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud told the second review meeting of the advisory body. 'The journey is long. This is just the beginning,' he said.

Peshawar deputy commissioner Shafiullah Khan, officials from the police, social welfare, health and other departments and representatives of media and non-governmental organisations involved in treating drug addicts were present on the occasion.

Additional deputy commissioner Mohammad Ehteshamul Haq gave a detailed presentation on the first two phases of the campaign. He told the participants that a total of 1,183 drug addicts had been picked up from various parts of the city in a crackdown launched in coordination with the police. He said three addicts, who were in critical condition, expired during treatment.

He said the initial plan was to treat 700 addicts in the first phase, but it was later expanded to 1,100. He said most of the addicts were in the 26 to 40 age group and 45 per cent of them had come from outside the district, while a few belonged to other provinces.

Mr Haq revealed that 44 addicts had HIV Aids, while 177 suffered from hepatitis-C. He said the HIV...