CONFESSED drug users in the eastern part of Metro Manila, groove to the Zumba beat on the Mandaluyong City Hall grounds. The fitness activity at 7 a.m. every Sunday is a must for those who gave themselves up to local officials in the hopes of turning their lives around. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
WITH more and more admitted drug users in Quezon City giving themselves up to authorities and the government-run drug rehabilitation facility already operating at full capacity, city officials say they will soon open a new building to take in more patients.
Based on records of the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council (QCADAAC), 116 drug users are on the waitlist for admission to the Quezon City Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, also known as “Tahanan,” in Barangay Payatas B which can house just 150 individuals.
Of the more than 4,000 confessed drug users in the city who have so far yielded to local officials, 200 have undergone drug dependency evaluation. Of the number, 73 were referred for rehabilitation while the rest were advised to undergo counseling. An additional 43 drug users who yielded directly to the management at Tahanan are also waiting to be admitted.
According to the Quezon City government, it has requested permission for an additional 150 beds for the rehabilitation facility, with a new building awaiting accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH).
Dr. Alvin Vergara, head of the screening and intake section at Tahanan, told the Inquirer that while the surrenderors were waiting for a vacancy at the center, the officials of the barangays where they live would be responsible for monitoring them.
“The QCADAAC provides counseling for those referred to the program,” Vergara said. This is done by its social workers, psychologists and doctors who conduct daily visits to identified barangays.
QCADAAC head and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed optimism that their request for a higher bed capacity would soon be approved by the DOH. According to her, the Bureau of Health Facilities and Services conducted an ocular inspection of the rehab facility last week.
Vergara also showed to the Inquirer the new two-story building which could accommodate 78 double-deck beds.
“We are just waiting for a temporary permit from the DOH and additional staff to be able to use the building,” he said.
Introduced in 1993, Tahanan, through its DOH doctors, provides drug dependency evaluation to individuals who are either referred for rehabilitation or counseling. Once admitted to the facility, drug users undergo therapy to help them get back to their normal lives.
They are also given specific work roles like kitchen assignments to give them “a sense of responsibility.”