DOH:'Everyone's help needed to fight drugs'

PALO, Leyte, April 19 (PNA) – The top health official in the region on Wednesday stressed the need for an intensive dissemination on what to do to help drug dependents who surrendered to the authorities.

A total of 574 drug dependents in Eastern Visayas have surrendered and identified as high-risk based on community level assessment, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.

Out of that number, 182 are in Leyte province, 45 in Tacloban City, 35 in Ormoc City, 223 in Southern Leyte, 55 in Eastern Samar, 17 in Calbayog City in Samar, and 17 in Northern Samar. Assessment is still ongoing in Biliran and Samar provinces.

The figure represents 1.71 percent of the 33,525 self-confessed drug personalities in the region since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency middle of last year.

The health department projected that only one percent of drug users who turned themselves in were in need of rehabilitation.

“They will be evaluated again by well-trained staff of the DOH-Treatment and Rehabilitation Center since this assessment was done by local health workers in the community level,” said DOH assistant regional director Paula Paz Sydiongco.

To date, there are only 23 drug dependents admitted at the DOH-TRC facility in Dulag, Leyte.

The DOH released the report on Wednesday during a press briefing on the sidelines of Eastern Visayas Anti-Drug Abuse Summit held at Oriental Hotel here. The event gathered health workers, top police officials, social workers, anti-narcotics agents, and local government officials.

“There should be an intensive dissemination on what to do to help drug surrenderees. We believe that officials up to the village level should be aware of what the government have been doing,” said DOH Assistant Secretary Leonita Gorgolan.

The government has been mapping out strategies to help in the recovery of drug dependents such as expansion of existing drug rehabilitation center, putting up drug clinic in rural health units, and promotion of community-based recovery.

“We need everyone’s help to fight this battle. We are committed to capacitate health workers such as training on how to assess drug dependents, and strengthen linkages and networking,” Sydiongco said.

Dangerous Drugs Board Executive Director Earl Saavedra explained that the Duterte administration has outlined five strategies - demand reduction, awareness, treatment and rehabilitation, supply reduction, and compliance to international commitments.

“The challenge is institutionalization and localization. There are gaps in the local level especially if there’s no political will. The sustainability component is challenge because leadership come and go, hence, it should be institutionalized in the local level,” Saavedra said.(PNA)
SARWELL Q. MENIANO