J&K rolls out a three-year patient-centered drug rehabilitation model that follows people after discharge

# What launched

Jammu & Kashmir has introduced the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026. The policy creates a three-year, patient-centric rehabilitation cycle that continues after hospital treatment. A Socio-Economic Rehabilitation Centre opened this week at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar as the Phase‑I pilot site.

# What the scheme does differently

Unlike conventional models that treat detoxification and short-term counselling as the end of care, this scheme makes a named government official responsible for a person's recovery for a full three years. The case file created at admission bundles medical treatment, psychosocial support, education or skill training, employment assistance, and long-term monitoring into one documented plan. That file is handed to a Social Welfare Official who acts as case manager and coordinates all elements of reintegration.

# How follow-up and monitoring are structured

# How relapse is treated

Relapse is explicitly framed as a medical and social condition to be managed, not as a punishable violation. The policy requires reassessment and re-entry into appropriate parts of the rehabilitation cycle when indicators of relapse or disengagement appear.

# Pilot rollout and infrastructure

IMHANS Srinagar is the pilot site and has a new centre with counselling rooms and group-therapy space. The facility has been noted as well-equipped and is developing a partnership with AIIMS Delhi. Addiction Treatment Facilities in Jammu, Kathua, and Budgam are operational and poised to start the scheme.

# Why this matters locally

J&K's approach seeks to reduce the gap between short-term medical treatment and long-term social reintegration. If implemented consistently, the model could keep beneficiaries connected to family, education, skills training, and employment support for a defined period, aiming for better social and functional outcomes.

# Remaining test and practical challenge

The policy's effectiveness depends on government capacity to sustain case management across three years. The article highlights that the real test is whether institutional responsibility—rather than a hospital—can be maintained for every assigned case throughout the planned cycle.

# Immediate next steps