Thiruvananthapuram: With suicide cases being reported from various parts of the state after liquor sales were stopped in Kerala following the lockdown, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed the Excise Department to provide liquor to those with a prescription from a doctor.
According to the government order, the excise department will issue passes and based on it each individual will get a prescribed amount of Indian-made foreign liquor.
The move comes after many reportedly showed acute withdrawal symptoms and suicide cases were reported in the state. Earlier, in Kodungaloor in Thrissur district, a youth committed suicide by jumping into the river after suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
In another incident, a 38-year-old man working in a barbershop in Kayamkulam consumed shaving lotion after he didn't get alcohol. Though he was taken to hospital after he developed uneasiness, he died
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The Kerala government has also asked the Excise Department to provide free treatment and admit people with withdrawal symptoms to the de-addiction centres.
The Chief Minister has said the government is also considering the option of online sale of liquor as the sudden unavailability of alcohol may lead to social problems.
However, the Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said that the state government's decision to sell alcohol to those with a prescription from doctors for having withdrawal symptoms is not a scientific one.
The association also said that the doctors have no legal obligation to provide a prescription for alcohol.
(with inputs from ANI)
