Drug rehabilitation shows steady progress
By Ranil Wijayapala
Drug addicts; can they be rehabilitated from their addiction was a
question lingered in the minds of the people some decades ago. There was
belief that they cannot be rehabilitated and they have to live with
drugs for ever and their lives also should end with drugs.
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Anti-drugs drive: Carrying
the message across |
But all these misconceptions have been proved wrong at present as the
drug addicts are realising that all what they believed were only
gimmicks of the drug mafia who were silently awaiting to take control of
their lives for ever and ruin their entire life.
It was with that strong belief, the set of people in different age
groups have come to the Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre for drug
addicts at Thalangama, Koswatta and struggling both physically and
mentally to kick the bad habit.
What they all say in unison is that if they have determination and
courage they can get rid of this bad habit. "We all want to get rid from
this habit and be good citizen", is the highlighting point what they
were talking.
But there are so many obstacles they have to pass to make that effort
a success and the counselors,assistant counselors and prevention,
treatment and training assistant officers who are employed under a
manager at the centre are giving them the required support to make their
effort a success. All what they want is to rehabilitate these people who
have addicted to drugs may be due to something that has gone wrong
somewhere in their life.
All the inmates there at the centre are having their own story in
their life that compelled them to use drugs. But there was no need for
me to hear all their stories from their words as all their stories were
well engraved in their bright eyes that may have been faded with the
screen of smoke of the drugs they used in the past.
But for those who joined them recently, life may be too tough as they
still dream of the life they spent outside. So they agitate and plead
the staff to get them free from the centre to go back to the life they
spent because they are yet to realise the bitter truth behind the life
they are spending.
Sandun Ganegoda, the Manager of the Treatment and Rehabilitation
Centre for drug addicts of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board
(NDDCB) established under National Dangerous Drug Control Board Act no
11 of 1984, is making an endeavour to make Sri Lanka a Drug Free country
as stipulated in the government policy document Mahinda Chinthana and
and its extended version.
The NDDCB has established several Treatment and Rehabilitation
Centres ensuring the right of the every citizen to get rehabilitated
from drug addiction and the Thalangama Treatment and Rehabilitation
Centre is also serving the purpose of rehabilitating the drug addicts in
Sri Lanka.
Situated beside the Koswatta government hospital on the New Kandy
Road, Thalangama Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre caters to the
female drug addicts specially functioning as a dropping centre for
female drug addicts to undergo treatment and rehabilitation during day
time.
"If they feel that they need to have residential treatment we can
arrange that facility also for them on their request. We are directing
them for three months treatment and the Government is providing expenses
for the three months period rehabilitation program", he said.
The centre also caters to the employed people who cannot stop their
addiction to drugs by charging a fee of Rs.8,000 for a 14 day treatment
and rehabilitation program.
"Many employed people are coming here voluntarily and their family
members and the employers are directing them to our centre for
treatment. At the same time the centre is catering not only for the drug
addicts but also for the people who have been addicted to alcohol for a
long period.
We provide them seven days programs according to their request",
Sandun Ganegoda said.
Every treatment and rehabilitation centre like in Thalangama consists
of a counsellor, assistant counsellors and prevention, treatment and
training assistant officers who are employed under a manager.
Currently, the NDDCB is making arrangements to establish district
offices throughout the island. Every client is provided a free
nutritious meal during the period in which they are interned. Free
accommodation facilities are also provided. Facilities are also provided
for exercises and recreational activities.
The Board has taken steps and responsibility in providing better
services for its clients through psychotherapy methods such as
individual counseling and group counseling conducted by well-trained and
experienced staff.
One risk factor these drug addicts face is the vulnerability to
infect communicable and sexually transmitted diseases due to the habits
they developed in taking drugs.
"There are a lot of communicable diseases spread among the drug
addicted people. They become victims of the dormant TB as they do not
take medicine for these diseases systematically as stipulated by the
doctors. Therefore, there is a national level danger due to this
situation to spread such diseases among other communities also. When
drug addicts come for the treatment we screen them for such diseases",
he said.
"There is another tendency to spread sexually transmitted diseases
among the drug addicted people. We are working with the Sexually
Transmitted Disease programme of the Health Ministry to combat spreading
of sexually transmitted diseases after screening them for such diseases
also in our centres", he said.
Not only the volunteers the drug addicts directed from the Courts
also undergo rehabilitation at this centre.
"Those who come here voluntarily can have relax time here compared to
the inmates directed here from the Courts. They have to undergo their
treatment here according to their sentence. They have to undergo a three
month treatment and rehabilitation here at the centre", he said.
"During that three months we are also identifying people vulnerable
for sexually transmitted diseases and also for other communicable
diseases such as TB. Through that we can detect the drug addicts
carrying communicable disease and sexually transmitted diseases. That is
good for the health situation of the country also. Otherwise there is no
way of detecting these people by the health authorities", the Manager
said. Explaining the methodology adopted at the centre, Ganegoda said
that they are adopting counseling as the basic method of rehabilitation
for the drug addicts. "In addition to that we also get the voluntary
service from a psychiatric doctor from the Homagama Base Hospital to
treat the persons here", he said.
Since the centre is located at Koswatta government hospital, the
hospital doctors also visit the centre to provide daily check ups. In
case of an emergency the inmates can be admitted to the Koswatta
hospital. "If we cannot treat them at the Koswatta hospital we take them
to the National Hospital for treatment", he said.
In addition, a doctor attached to Psychiatric unit in Mulleriyawa
also visits the centre every Tuesday. "Therefore we are providing
counseling service and medical treatment together. That is important for
the rehabilitation of drug addicts", Sandun Ganegoda said.
"But there is no unique way of treating and rehabilitating the drug
addicts. It also depends on their faith and the confidence. If they feel
that the use of drugs is useless they themselves can get rid of the
habit. Those who believe in a God can pray to rid themselves of this bad
habit", the Manager said explaining the ways of rehabilitating drug
addicts.
The NDDCB is having different rehabilitation centres for different
groups of drug addicts.
"The youth under 20 years are sent to the Youth Treatment Centre in
Handissa, Kandy. Those over 20 years who are addicted to drugs for six
years are sent to Unawatuna, Treatment Centre in Galle, located within a
hospital premises. The people who are addicted to drugs for six to 12
years are sent to the Thalangama centre. Those addicted over 12 years
are sent to Nawa Diganthaya treatment centre Nittambuwa, Urapola", he
said.
"Once the treatment period is over we are having follow up meetings
for those who are leaving our centre. We are meeting them with their
family members to see whether they are having any problem with them. We
are summoning them for follow up meeting to see their progress", he
said.
But one major problem these drug addicts are facing is the economic
problem they are facing once they go back to their homes. "Some people
rehabilitated here do not have a place to go. They sometimes live in
streets and the drug mafia is gets them back to their cycle. Therefore ,
there is a necessity to operate a program to look after them", he said.
"We are also connecting with Non Government organisations to
strengthen the economic background of these rehabilitated people.
We are trying to get them jobs after having discussions with people
connected to us depending on their skills. We are guiding them to engage
in jobs", he said.
Even the centre is assisting one person by providing shelter for some
rehabilitated people to stay the night after engaged in their jobs
during day time.
"We have make that arrangement as we realised that that person is not
having a proper place to stay. If she goes back to the same place where
she lived earlier they will definitely recapture her into the cycle", he
said.
"Therefore, we request philanthropists and employers to assist these
people to return to the society as good citizen by ensuring their
livelihood", he said. According to rough estimates there are about
40,000 drug addicts in the country and they need to be rehabilitated if
the country is to be freed from drugs.
"We are conducting programs through the outreach program of the NDDCB
after visiting the drug addicts within the community", he said.
"We are recruiting many graduate trainees to our staff.
The number of higher professional with us are less. But I think that
the best way of controlling drug addiction is not having highly
qualified professionals but people who can associate these drug addicts
at their level", he said.
He said the Chairperson Leisha de Silva Chandrasena of the NDDCB is
working tirelessly to make Sri Lanka a drug free country as stipulated
in the Mahinda Chinthana along with her staff led by Director General
Karunaratne Gamage, Assistant Director (Treatment) K. W. Premasiri and
Assistant Director Research Badrani Senanayake.
"We hope that we are systematically stepping forward in reaching the
target of creating a Drug Free Sri Lanka very soon through the programs
carried out by the NDDCB under the present Chairperson Leisha de Silva
Chandrasena", he said.
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