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‘No remuneration is being given to drug users while on treatment’ |21 July 2018

Based on allegations that people who use drugs are being remunerated while on treatment, the Agency for the Prevention of Drugs Abuse and Rehabilitation (Apdar) has confirmed that they are not engaged in such practice.

During a press conference yesterday afternoon at the City Building at Providence, executive members of the agency made clear their position regarding the allegations.

Chief executive Beryl Naiken, along with her deputy Geralda Desaubin and chief liaison officer Marie-Josette Louis, confirmed that only trained peer educators – reformed and trained former addicts – are given a monthly allowance of R5,000 for their active contributions toward the existing methadone programme.

So far, the Apdar has trained 45 peer educators and up till now, 24 are active.

Those trained personnel help with the daily running of the programme, including administrative work, outreach in the districts, counselling and the distribution process of Methadone.

Ms Desaubin explained that confusion may have arisen following the R300 which were being given as incentives to participants of the International Biological and Behavioural Survey (IBBS) held last year.

She said, other than the R300, those involved in the IBBS were given three coupons worth R150 each for bringing in three extra people.

She added that the money was used as an incentive to attract participants for the survey, as it was not an easy task to get them to take part.

Commenting on the ongoing Methadone programme, Mrs Naiken said it is being carried out on two levels, namely the high threshold – with addicts who spent some time at the detoxication centre before moving into psycho-social programmes – and low threshold – those from the community who are not willing to attend any therapy and counselling.

She added that for levels of treatment, proper monitoring processes are carried out.

Regarding the after-care process which involves re-integrating the patients into the world of work, Ms Desaubin said due to a lack of resources, they have not been able to fully apply it.

She however noted that Apdar has a good working relationship with the ministry responsible for employment which helps them in finding jobs for the patients.

The only problem, she said, is most working establishments refuse to take them due to past incidents such as theft and truancy.

From January to June, the Methadone distribution programme has cost the Seychelles government a total of R400,000.

Methadone is an opioid used to treat pain and as maintenance therapy or to help with tapering in people with opioid dependence. Detoxification using methadone can either be done relatively rapidly in less than a month or gradually over as long as six months. While a single dose has a rapid effect, maximum effect can take five days of use.

Its side effects are similar to those of other opioids. Commonly these include dizziness, sleepiness, vomiting, and sweating. Serious risks include opioid abuse and a decreased effort to breathe. Abnormal heart rhythms may also occur due to a prolonged QT interval.

 

 

 

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