Community rehab for addicts not working

Star: PADANG BESAR: Attempts to rehabilitate drug addicts using the community-based concept are not yielding good results.
National Anti-Drug Agency treatment and rehabilitation director Zuraidah Muhamad said this was because of lack of participation from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), parents, and community-based organisations.
She said 17 community-based service centres were set up to provide counselling for those who had completed their two-year training at drug rehabilitation centres.
“But many NGOs have yet to extend their cooperation to make this programme a success,” she said.
“Even those who have completed their training at drug rehabilitation centres do not show up at the service centres, although it is compulsory for them to do so,” she said.
She said parents and the public were also not keen to help out at the service centres aimed at helping former drug addicts return to society.
“We must find ways to get the NGOs, parents and the public interested in helping out in the rehabilitation process,” she said after opening the Dataran Keinsafan at the Bukit Chabang rehabilitation centre here yesterday.
The agency plans to set up 93 service centres nationwide by 2008, Zuraidah said, adding that they would be strategically located for easy access.
She said close cooperation between Pemadam, Pengasih, village development and security committees, rehabilitated drug addicts and their family members was important to check relapse.
Bukit Chabang rehabilitation centre commandant Nazer Mustafa said the centre was using the Islamic method to rehabilitate drug addicts.