VIJAYAWADA: On the eve of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav announced a Rs 9.86 crore master plan to upgrade 16 de-addiction centres across the State.
In a major structural overhaul, the centres in Vizag, Vijayawada, and Kadapa are being developed into premier ‘Centres of Excellence’ to serve as advanced tertiary-care hubs for substance-abuse recovery and mental health counselling. This expansion is backed by an aggressive recruitment drive aimed at eliminating severe staff shortages. Out of 346 sanctioned positions across the state’s 25 functional facilities, more than 200 posts were vacant by 2024.
Following executive orders from the alliance government, the Health Department has recruited 57 professionals over the last two months alone, while the selection process for another 123 posts is in its final stages, and 52 more vacancies are undergoing immediate verification by the Collectors.
According to Joint Secretary of the Health and Medical Department, Ronanki Gopalakrishna, the upgrade blueprint focuses on deploying both infrastructural modifications and advanced diagnostic toolkits to treat heavy substance dependence.
Of the total Rs 9.86 crore package, which is financed entirely through the dedicated ‘Cess’ Fund under the State Excise Department, Rs 8 crore is explicitly earmarked for civil works, therapeutic rooms, and clinical furniture.
The remaining funds will procure state-of-the-art medical equipment, highlighted by deployment of specialised Bio-Feedback machines worth Rs 2.50 lakh each alongside ECG units. The Bio-Feedback systems will be utilised by clinical psychologists to monitor physiological signals, helping patients actively manage and mitigate clinical anxiety, withdrawal-induced stress, and acute depression.
The three designated Centres of Excellence in Vizag, Vijayawada, and Kadapa will act as a primary network for complex psychiatric and psychological cases requiring advanced detoxification interventions.
This massive scale-up of de-addiction infrastructure directly responds to the coalition government’s relentless crackdown on narcotics and illegal cannabis supply chains, which has driven a key surge in voluntary medical enrollments. Director of Medical Education Dr Vishnuvardhan released clinical data demonstrating the footfall at state-run medical facilities.
During the full 2025–26 fiscal year, the centres recorded 44,860 out-patient registrations and 3,255 in-patient admissions, led by Kurnool district with a state-high of 5,222 out-patients, followed closely by major facilities in Tirupati, Guntur, Srikakulam, Paderu, Rajamahendravaram, and Kakinada.
The indicators for the 2026–27 fiscal window show that it is accelerating rapidly; in just the period of April and May, the centers have handled 12,161 out-patients and 1,018 in-patients, including 253 youth who entered recovery protocols to overcome addiction.