Patient numbers up 1,300% in 5 yrs at Hyderabad drug treatment clinic

HYDERABAD: It's a high on a major leap. Fresh data tabled in Lok Sabha has thrown up a shocking 1300% jump in footfall over the last five years at Hyderabad's drug treatment clinic (DTC). According to records submitted by the ministry of home affairs on July 22, the DTC at the city's Institute of Mental Health (IMH) saw the number of patients go up from 701 in 2020-21 to 9,832 in 2024-25 (up to Jan). It is the sharpest spike across all such major centres in India.

According to doctors at IMH, most patients visiting the clinic are addicted to alcohol, adulterated toddy and cannabis. The Hyderabad facility was set up in 2020.


"On an average, at least 30 patients come to the drug clinic every day. In a month, we easily record over 600 cases," said K Phanikanth, who heads the clinic at IMH. He added: "Recently, when the excise department conducted raids at toddy shops, there was an influx of patients with withdrawal symptoms. Our daily caseload went up to about 100."

Doctors and de-addiction experts attribute this astronomical rise to multiple factors - easy availability and affordability of drugs, increased anxiety and stress post pandemic and presence of a dedicated treatment facility that patients can go to. Stricter enforcement by the Anti-Narcotics Bureau making counselling mandatory under NDPS Act and growing awareness about substance abuse are also factors pushing the numbers up, they said.

"In fact, what this data indicates is just the tip of the iceberg," said K Devika Rani, a de-addiction expert. She added: "The problem of substance abuse is deeper. Thousands of people, especially youngsters, are hooked to drugs like cocaine, LSD, MDMA along with cannabis and alcohol. The addiction is so severe that weaning them off is a near impossibility."

Set up with the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, as the nodal centre, DTCs run under govt-supported de-addiction programmes. They treat people, above the age of 18 and dealing with various addictions, as outpatients who are given anti-craving medication and psychological counselling.

While two DTCs, in Dibrugarh (Assam) and Agra (UP), saw a higher percentage rise in patient count compared to Hyderabad (1788% and 1400% respectively), absolute numbers in both these clinics were lower. While Assam's numbers went up from 25 in 2021-22 to 472 in 2024-25, in the case of Agra, it increased from 16 to 240 during the said period. Currently, India has 25 DTCs.