NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, INDIA C. Meeting of Core Advisory Group on Health and Mental Health 6.22 The meeting of the Core Group on Health and Mental Health was held on 26th November 2019 in the Commission under the chairmanship of Justice Shri P. C. Pant, Member, NHRC. The meeting was attended by Core Group Members, representatives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and representatives of Government Institutions viz., National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, National Institute of Social Defence, National Health Authority, National Health Systems Resource Centre, AIIMS, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), and special invitees from international organizations like UNAIDS. 6.23 Emphasizing on the need for concerted efforts of both Centre and the State to deal with the issue of substance abuse in India (agenda-1), prevention of HIV/AIDS (agenda-2) through awareness generation and planning a way forward for the Charter of Patients’ Rights (agenda-3), the issues were extensively deliberated upon by the august gathering. 6.24 After due deliberations, the following recommendations emanated from the meeting: 96 i. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to send a detailed report to NHRC regarding the current status and functioning of all the de-addiction centers in India. ii. Substance abuse treatment services in Juvenile Homes: State Human Rights Commission should proactively collaborate with the Juvenile Justice Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards to develop and monitor treatment services for substance abuse cases in juvenile homes. iii. Expansion of training facilities for health professionals in identification and treatment of substance use disorders: The NIMHANS Digital Academy which has already been training medical officers and other health professionals in States like Bihar, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha etc. should be replicated by all the States. This will help and catalyze the human resources and improve substance use treatment facilities. iv. Targeted substance abuse treatment programmes in the marginalized and vulnerable geographies: Considering the social determinants such as poverty, homelessness, populations residing in the slums and tribal areas, there is a need for targeted interventions in order to address the area specific issues leading to higher prevalence substance abuse. v. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to send a status report of budget utilization and implementation of Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (National Adolescent Health Programme) towards prevention of substance misuse. vi. Functional de-addiction centers at university level: Youth specific programmes and de-addiction facilities need to be made accessible for students at all times. vii. Research on orphaned children living with HIV: Undertake research examining the issues of orphaned children living with HIV and deliberating on the way forward. ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20