National Drug Control Mater Plan 2018-2023: |05 June 2018
Finding lasting solutions to drug abuse
Stakeholders from different sectors in the country have assembled at the Barbarons Avani Resort for a three-day workshop to develop a National Drug Control Master Plan for 2018-2023.
The master plan is being formulated and collated by the Agency for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation (Apdar) with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UONDC).
The workshop was officially launched yesterday by the secretary of state for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation, Dr Patrick Herminie.
Guests at the launch included the high commissioner of India to Seychelles Dr Ausaf Sayeed; Minister for Health Jean-Paul Adam; secretary of state for Poverty Alleviation Dick Esparon; principal secretary for Family Affairs Marie-Josée Bonne; chairman of the Seychelles Inter-Faith Council (Sifco) Bishop Denis Wiehe and chairman of the Citizens Engagement Platform (Ceps) Jude Fred.
In his opening remarks, Dr Herminie highlighted that the common goal for all stakeholders involved should be to secure, in whatever way possible, a more equitable treatment policy for those who need it and a more secure future for the generations of tomorrow.
Dr Herminie underscored the gravity of the drug situation in the country by stating down some alarming statistics that were compiled from a 2017 respondent driven survey.
The survey concluded that 76% of persons who inject drugs are Hepatitis C positive and 13% HIV positive, while it also found almost 5000 Seychellois heroin-addicts out of which 2500 inject drugs.
“These statistics are not only frightening but speak volumes about our situation; one of poor economic output, rampant criminality, a vicious cycle of poverty in many communities and a public health time bomb.”
In order to alleviate this bleak outlook, Dr Herminie recommended that participants focus on several key aspects while helping to draft the master plan such as criminal law issues, construction of an adequate rehabilitation centre and harm reduction tools.
Discrimination against people with substance abuse disorders is one of the main barriers towards tackling drugs in the country, he noted.
This fact is highlighted through some apprehension in regards to the development of a methadone maintenance programme and, needles and syringes programme in the local prison system. In this regard, he continued, Apdar along with the Ministry of Health are soon to effectuate a survey in prison to provide the arguments to support such programmes.
“We must seek to therefore educate our public on what drug abuse really is, and what drugs really are. In putting together this master plan, we must keep in mind the need to raise awareness on all facets of the drug problem in new and innovative ways.”
A proposed outline for the National Drug Control Master Plan (NDCMP) 2018-2023 indicates that the final one will be concerned with health and social development, supply reduction and countering the traffic of narcotics and psychotropic substances, human rights, and proper coordination of drug-related information.
Beryl Naiken, the chief executive of Apdar, stated that the three-day workshop is expected to be a followed by the validation of the NDCMP 2018-2023 in the middle of this month.
“By the end of all this we want to establish an effective framework that will make sure that all stakeholders are on the same page and what they should do on their side to ensure uniformity in implementing the policies and strategies,” Mrs Naiken concluded.