Patiala, Feb. 27 -- The Punjab health department will employ rehabilitated drug addicts as counsellors at government-run Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres across the state.

The department has already directed all the civil surgeons to submit names of recovered drug addicts holding a graduate degree in any subject.

According to an official letter issued by the state health department on February 25, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, the proposal to engage rehabilitated addicts as counsellors is under active consideration.

The letter asks for the list of eligible candidates to be provided at the earliest.

An official of the health department, pleading anonymity, said that the rationale behind this step is to use...