Patiala, March 16 -- The Punjab government has restricted treatment at its government-run drug de-addiction facilities and Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics exclusively to residents of the state, shutting the doors on addicts from neighbouring states seeking rehabilitation in Punjab. As per an order issued on March 9 by the directorate of health and family welfare, treatment services at government de-addiction centres, rehabilitation centres and OOAT clinics across the state will now be available only to patients holding a valid Punjab domicile. "Treatment services at Government De-addiction Centres, Government Rehabilitation Centres, and Government OOAT Clinics within the state shall be made available only to patients holding valid Punjab domicile, strictly in accordance with the applicable rules and guidelines. This provision shall also be applicable to patients registered on the Punjab Drug De-Addiction Registry Portal (PDDRC) and Drug De-addiction Registry Portal (DDRP) portals, subject to due verification of domicile and compliance with all prescribed procedural and statutory requirements," reads the order issued by the health department. Currently, thousands of drug addicts from neighbouring Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan are receiving treatment at over 500 OOAT clinics across the state. Confirming the development, Dr Sandeep Bhola, state programme officer, said, "The idea is to screen out drug addicts from other states to get real data on the number of addicts hailing from the state. This will help the government formulate policies in a better way." He added that the government had recently launched a programme for the follow-up of drug addicts, which was not practically possible if the patients were from other states. The directive states that patients must be registered on the state's PDDRC and DDRP portals, and their domicile will be verified before admission to any government de-addiction facility. Health department officials said the move was aimed at ensuring that Punjab's limited rehabilitation infrastructure is utilised primarily for residents of the state, which continues to battle a severe drug crisis. Though the policy closes the door for patients from neighbouring states, the order makes limited exceptions. Patients brought by the police or admitted under orders of a competent court may still be treated in state facilities. Similarly, jail inmates requiring treatment as part of custodial care will continue to receive services, subject to legal provisions and interstate coordination protocols....