Exchange of experiences in drug addiction treatment between Nghe An province and Quang Nam province

On the morning of October 6, in Vinh city, the People's Committee of Nghe An province had a working session with the working delegation of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to exchange experiences in directing and implementing the work.drug addiction treatmentvolunteering at home and in the community in Nghe An province.

Attending the meeting, on behalf of Quang Nam province, there were comrade Tran Anh Tuan - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with representatives of leaders of a number of departments, branches and units of the province.

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; along with representatives of the Provincial Police and the Departments of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Health; and a number of drug rehabilitation facilities in the province.

Reporting at the meeting, the representative of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province said: Currently, in the province, there are 3,810 drug addicts with management records, 685 people illegally using drugs. The whole province has 20/21 districts, cities, towns and 344/460 communes, wards and towns with drug problems, 1 district-level locality meets the criteria of "Drug-free district" (Hoang Mai town).

In Nghe An province, there are currently 8 public drug rehabilitation facilities (3 facilities are called compulsory drug rehabilitation facilities and 5 facilities are called voluntary drug rehabilitation facilities). Of which, 4 facilities are under the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, 1 facility is under the Provincial Youth Union, 3 facilities are under the People's Committee of Vinh city and the People's Committees at the district level (Que Phong and Ky Son). The total current admission scale of 8 rehabilitation facilities is 1,500 - 1,700 people, expected to increase to 2,500 people in the near future.

Currently, in Nghe An province, there are no non-public organizations or individuals registered to provide voluntary drug addiction treatment services in general, or voluntary drug addiction treatment services at home and in the community in particular.

As of September 30, 2023, in the province, 10/21 districts, cities and towns have deployed or assigned tasks to 156 public service units (public drug rehabilitation facilities, medical centers, medical stations...) to provide voluntary drug rehabilitation services at home and in the community.

As for Quang Nam province, as of September 30, 2023, there were 790 drug addicts with management records in the province; 110/241 communes, wards and towns in 16/18 districts, cities and towns had drug addicts.

The province is currently organizing concentrated drug rehabilitation at the province's drug rehabilitation facility for 188 people (of which, 182 are forced to undergo rehabilitation and 6 are voluntary). The number of drug addicts who voluntarily undergo rehabilitation at home or in the community is only 13 people.

At the meeting, the two provinces shared about mechanisms and policies to encourage organizations and individuals to participate in voluntary drug addiction treatment; policies and regimes to support community integration for people after drug addiction treatment; developing and submitting for promulgation technical and economic norms and prices for voluntary drug addiction treatment services at home and in the community; and documents to direct and implement voluntary drug addiction treatment at home and in the community.

The two provinces also exchanged results and experiences in implementing voluntary drug addiction treatment at home and in the community, as well as difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process.

Representatives of the People's Committees of Nghe An and Quang Nam provinces expressed their hope that in the coming time, the two provinces will continue to maintain regular and close contact, strengthen cooperation, exchange and inform each other on drug prevention and control in general, and drug addiction treatment in particular./.