Designated minister visits DRDM and APDAR |23 March 2018

Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon conducted familiarisation visits at the Division of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM) and the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation (APDAR) yesterday.

Both entities fall under the portfolio of the Designated Minister.

Minister Mondon was accompanied by the principal secretary in the Office of the Designated Minister, Marina Confait.

Paul Labaleine, the director general (DG) of the DRDM, was the first to welcome Minister Mondon at the DRDM headquarters in Mont Fleuri.

DRDM is the agency mandated with preventing national disasters and ensuring that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for immediate response and recovery are in place in order to save lives.

During her tour of the agencies’ facilities Minister Mondon was able to interact with the staff as well as assess the challenges and working environment the staff are operating in.

Minister Mondon was also apprised of the various projects under implementation by DRDM such as the river mapping and flood risk project being coordinated by the agency’s team of hydrologists, geologists and engineers.

“Our main constraint remains lack of adequate space,” revealed Mr Labaleine.

“The office space is quite small and cramped, and this is proving to be a problem because the type of work we do demands a lot of manpower, especially during emergencies.”

He further stated that the agency is in dire need of additional facilities including research rooms, showers and a dormitory during disaster periods for the staff as well as a proper pantry.

Minister Mondon confirmed that an area has already been identified for the construction of DRDM’s own building to permit for more space and better working conditions.

“Needless to say what really impressed me at the DRDM were the cohorts of young staff and graduates who are motivated, enthusiastic and passionate about their work,” Minister Mondon stated.

The visit moved to the office of APDAR where Minister Mondon and PS Confait were met by the secretary of state for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation Dr Patrick Herminie.

It is to be noted that APDAR’s offices are dispersed in two different buildings in Providence, which Minister Mondon visited, and at Victoria House.

During the visit Minister Mondon was provided with a tour of the secretary of state and APDAR’s secretariats, the demand reduction division, and the division for prevention and education.

“The fact that APDAR’s offices are spread all around impacts on our quality of work because when we hold meetings, for instance, it can take about one hour for the management team at Victoria House to get to Providence. That is one hour wasted,” Dr Herminie said.

“This is why we are preparing to go before the Cabinet of Ministers to make a case for our own headquarters. We will be presenting our Respondent Driven Survey and also asking the government to declare the drug problem in the country as a public health emergency.”

Minister Mondon stated that both agencies will be receiving the support of her Office in order to address their deficiencies.