MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday inaugurated the Las Piñas Drug Abuse and Treatment Rehabilitation Center in response to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s call to prioritize and synergize efforts to stop drug addiction.
In his speech, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III noted the huge gap between the drug dependents and treatment facilities, thus the need to establish more state-run treatment centers for substance abuse.
According to the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB), there are about 1.3 million drug dependents in the country. The number of beds in government and private drug rehabilitation centers totals around 3,216 - not enough to accommodate the 600,000 drug dependents who have surrendered to the authorities.
The center has an area of 2,735 square meters and a target bed capacity of 300. It aims to address the high influx of surrenderers and help in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration through the effective alignment of services and programs at the community level.
“It is important that we sustain the momentum we have established. The DOH is working closely with government agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen our substance abuse prevention and treatment programs to ensure that we leave no one behind,” Duque said.
Apart from the DBB, the DOH is working closely with the Department of the Interior and Local Government to create better communities where drug users are treated and rehabilitated. (PNA)
