Addiction treatment in India: Legal, ethical and professional concerns reported in the media
Abstract: As per the Magnitude of Substance Use in India 2019 survey report, over 57 million of the Indian population is in need of professional help for alcohol use disorders and around 7.7 million for opioid use disorders.
The increasing demand for addiction treatment services in India calls for professionalising every aspect of the field. Frequent human rights violations and various unethical practices in Indian addiction treatment facilities have been reported in the mass media.
This study is a content analysis of newspaper reports from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019 looking into legal, ethical and professional concerns regarding the treatment of substance use disorders in India. The content analysis revealed various human rights violations, the use of improper treatment modalities, the lack of basic facilities at treatment settings, and the presence of unqualified professionals in practice.
Full text source (Indian Journal of Medical Ethics)